Suggest treatment for haemochromatosis
Patient: My doctor wants me to go on a statin for high cholesterol - LDL 182; HDL 68; Triglycerides 90. I have hemochromatosis and am concerned about live damage from the statin. I have managed my hemochromatosis well for the past 5 years. Are my numbers too high to bring my cholesterol down naturally or are my risks for stroke/heart attack too high that I need a statin? Doctor: Hello,   How old are you? What is your gender? Cholesterol levels are different by age, weight and gender.  Healthy levels of cholesterol don't vary much for typical adults. Variation of recommendation levels tends to change due to other health condition and consideration.  For LDL cholesterol levels should be less than 100 mg/dL, levels of 100 to 129 mg/dL is acceptable for people with no health issues but maybe more concern for those with heart disease or heart disease risk factors. Levels of 130 to 159 mg/dL is borderline high and 160 to 189 mg/dL is high. A reading of 190 mg/dL or higher is considered very high.  Generally, the earlier an adult starts living a healthful lifestyle, the better for their cholesterol levels. A sudden change in lifestyle will help eventually, but the older a person is, the less impact they will see in cholesterol levels. High cholesterol at any age puts a person at risk for heart disease, heart attack and strokes. These risk only increase over time, especially for adults who are not taking action to reduce their cholesterol buildup.   Your cholesterol levels high so it is an indication to give you medicine. If you try to change your lifestyle and the cholesterol levels not improve you should use medicine.  Occasionally, statin use could cause an increase in the level of enzymes that signal liver inflammation. If the increase is only mild, you can continue to take the drug. Rarely, if the increase is severe, you may need to try a different statin.  You should follow up with your home doctor for liver enzyme tests.  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.  Regards, Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General & Family Physician