Cholesterol-lowering medicines reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in people with high cholesterol.
Having high cholesterol can narrow your blood vessels because fat builds up and blocks the blood vessels (atherosclerosis). Cholesterol is measured in mmol/L. Having a total cholesterol above 4 mmol/L increases your chance of having atherosclerosis.
When fatty deposits build up in the blood vessels around your heart, it’s called coronary artery disease. Having high cholesterol increases your chance of having a heart attack, a stroke or coronary artery disease.
If you have high cholesterol, even lowering it by 1 mmol/L will lower your risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke by 20%.
Although you won’t feel any different when you take these medicines, it's important to keep taking them regularly to lower your chance of heart problems.
For best results, you’re encouraged to take these medicines and have a healthy lifestyle which includes reducing alcohol intake, stopping smoking, lowering the amount of salt in food and increasing physical activity.
There are different types of cholesterol lowering medicines, such as:
