Calculate need for statins to reduce risk of heart attack, stroke

Are you among the more than 70 million American adults who should be discussing the possibility of statin therapy with a physician to reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke?

An online calculator issued Tuesday by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association can provide the answer at http://goo.gl/d9NldB.

The calculator considers factors such as age, gender, race, total cholesterol levels and triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein levels (HDL cholesterol, which at high levels is protective against heart disease), whether you have diabetes and/or high blood pressure, and smoking status. Drawing on decades of research, the calculator will indicate how likely you are, over the next 10 years, to suffer a heart attack or stroke caused by atherosclerosis, or plaque-clogged arteries.

Under clinical-practice guidelines issued last week, a statin medication regimen should be recommended for adults who have a 7.5 percent probability of having such a medical crisis.

Three groups of patients should skip the calculator, and run - not walk - to pick up their statin prescriptions: Those who have had a stroke or heart attack caused by atherosclerosis or who have established coronary heart disease; patients between 40 and 75 with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis; and those with LDL cholesterol levels of 190 or more. - Los Angeles Times