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Risk Profiles

The known risk factors for heart disease that you should be aware of are:
  • Age: men who are 45 years and older, and women who are 55 years and older
  • Family history of premature coronary heart disease (CHD)
  • High blood pressure
  • Cigarette smoking
  • Low HDL cholesterol (Less than 1.0 mmol/l)
  • If you have a HDL-C level of 4.1 mmol/l or more, one risk factor can be subtracted from the count.
According to the Malaysian Clinical Pratice Guidelines on Management of Dyslipidemia 2004, if you have type 2 diabetes you are considered to have a risk equal to that of people who already have CHD.


Profile of People at Risk

You may not notice that you have high cholesterol, but it can affect anyone. So how do you know if cholesterol is a problem for you? All it takes is a simple blood test, which measures your cholesterol levels.

Examples of how cholesterol can affect people of different ages and all lifestyles are:

Mr. Ahmad* is a 40-year-old father of three, who smokes half a pack of cigarettes a day and rarely finds time to exercise. He does not follow a healthy diet, and is overweight. His father had a heart attack at age 49. Mr. Ahmad has never had his cholesterol checked.

Mr. Rajen* is a 50-year-old manager with type 2 diabetes. A nonsmoker, he exercises regularly. While Mr. Rajen leads a very healthy lifestyle, he is also aware that high triglycerides and low HDL-C frequently accompany diabetes.

Ms. Theresa Lee* is a 56-year-old businesswoman. She has high blood pressure which is controlled with medication, but she prefers not to take hormone-replacement therapy. She tries to watch what she eats, but her diet has more saturated fat than what is recommended. Theresa has very low HDL-C and high triglycerides.

Puan Siti* is a 45-year-old housewife with diabetes. She also has a family history of premature coronary heart disease. Even though she watches her diet and exercises regularly, she has high total cholesterol, including high LDL-C.

*These are not real patients

All people should monitor their cholesterol

It is recommended that serum cholesterol (Total-C, HDL-C, and LDL-C) and triglycerides be measured in all adults, 20 years and older, at least once every 5 years.

 
Community Educational Site by Persatuan Diabetes Malaysia (PDM) supported by:    
This website and the information contained herein are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to replace a discussion with a healthcare provider. All decisions regarding patient care must be made with a healthcare provider and must consider the unique characteristics of each patient.