What are the appropriate goals for a blood lipid profile?
Expert review committees have not conclusively recommended a specific target
level for total cholesterol, LDL-C or HDL-C to prevent cardiovascular diseases. However, the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and many clinical studies, strongly suggests that the lower the level of LDL-C, the lower the risk, regardless
of the therapy used to reduce levels of LDL-C.
Total cholesterol targets
The American Heart Association 2013 categories for total cholesterol and heart disease
risk consider less than 200 mg/dl to be a “desirable” level, 200 to 239 mg/dl “borderline high” and 240 mg/dl and above “high.”
In my opinion, up to 200 mg/dl should not be considered “desirable” and could lead to complacency because any level above
150 mg/dl entails an increased risk for coronary heart disease. Over 200 mg/dl could be called high risk.
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