The world loses battle against cholesterol, says WHO report
According to a report released by the World Health Organization, developed with data from several countries, most people with high cholesterol are not receiving the treatment they need.
Research is the largest that has been done to date on cholesterol levels in blood, linked to cardiovascular disease, with 17 million deaths a year, is the leading cause of death in the world.
According to the report, the percentage of people with elevated cholesterol who receive effective treatment with drugs such as statins remains small: “Many of those affected are unaware of their disease untreated hypercholesterolemia represents a missed opportunity, the tenor of the global epidemic of chronic diseases.”
The Estina help reduce levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), also called “bad” cholesterol associated with cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke and cerebral thrombosis.
The data analyzed were collected during a decade (1998 to 2007) for health systems in Thailand, Japan, Scotland, USA, England, Mexico and Jordan. The exhibition, according to the researchers, is representative of 147 million people, from different latitudes.
The analysis found that many people at risk, both in middle and high income, not taking statins, which has shown can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The report shows, for example, in Thailand 78 percent of adults surveyed had high cholesterol and had not been diagnosed, while in Japan, 53 percent of adults diagnosed were untreated.
Although England scored slightly better in 2006, when the sample was taken more than 65 percent of adults had not been diagnosed and about 20 percent of those diagnosed were not treated.
Mexico obtained the best results with the diagnosis and treatment of almost 60 percent of all cases.
Changing habits
The report’s authors make clear that not all people living with high cholesterol need statin therapy.
Sometimes changes in lifestyle such as regular exercise, eating a healthy diet (low fat, red meat and more grains, vegetables and fruits) as well as not smoking and reducing alcohol consumption, can help prevent heart disease and cardiovascular events .