Making sense of the statin guidelines

For years, doctors prescribed cholesterol-lowing statins based largely on cholesterol test results. The goal was to lower total cholesterol to under 200 mg/dL, and LDL (bad) cholesterol to under 100 mg/dL. But in late 2013, these guidelines shifted. Instead of aiming for a specific cholesterol value, doctors were urged to look at a person's entire cardiovascular risk profile when considering treatment.

Get your copy of Diseases of the Heart

This Special Health Report brings you important information on various conditions that affect the heart, along with their causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and prevention. You’ll learn about major cardiovascular problems such as hardening of the arteries, peripheral artery disease, coronary artery disease, and more. You’ll get details on atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, valve problems, aneurysms, and infections and inflammation of the heart, as well as rare conditions and congenital defects.

Diseases of the Heart

Featured content:

•	The healthy heart
•	What causes heart disease?
•	Coronary artery disease
•	SPECIAL SECTION: Lifestyle habits that help your heart
•	Heart failure
•	... and more!

Click here to read more »

Additional News from Harvard Health

Good hearing essential to physical and emotional well-being

Can hormonal birth control trigger depression?

Just what is pneumonia, anyway?

The latest on glucosamine/chondroitin supplements

When it comes to health supplements, glucosamine and chondroitin are among the most popular. They are touted not only as arthritis pain relievers but also as treatments to prevent joint disease. An estimated one in five Americans takes glucosamine and one in 10 takes chondroitin. So you’d think they must be highly effective. And yet, that’s not so clear.