CardioSource WorldNews September 2015 | Page 13

Patient Focus
CARDIOSMART CORNER

Helping Raise Cholesterol Awareness
used as a great starting point for a more in-depth cholesterol conversation with your patients. In addition, you
can also direct your patients to CardioSmart’s cholesterol
condition center where they can find guideline-based,
patient-friendly content, as well as choose to take part in
September’s “Cholesterol Challenge” and “Cholesterol
Quiz.”
Educated and informed patients help facilitate better
care. For more information on cholesterol patient education, visit CardioSmart.org/Cholesterol.

About one in three American adults has high LDL cholesterol. Of these, less than one third has their condition
under control. How can we help patients understand
what cholesterol means and the role it plays in their cardiovascular health?
To help with cholesterol education, CardioSmart has
developed a new infographic (see below) that can be
posted in physician offices or used online to educate
patients about high cholesterol and what can be done to
control it in terms of diet and lifestyle choices. It can be

AF in the Spotlight

CHOLESTEROL

September is Atrial Fibrillation
(AF) Awareness Month. Here are
some key topics to talk with your
patients about:

What is
CHOLESTEROL?

A fat-like substance in your blood. Too
much cholesterol can clog your arteries

• Do they need
anticoagulants to
avoid a stroke? If so,
what kind?

and lead to heart attack or stroke.
HDL

LDL

"Bad"
Cholesterol

"Good”
Cholesterol

Keep <100

TRIGLYCERIDES/5
Keep <150

Keep >40

TOTAL
CHOLESTEROL

• Do they need to have a procedure
(e.g., electrical shock or ablation) to
restore a normal heartbeat?

Keep >50
C

M

Y

CM

MY

What Causes

FOOD TIPS

HIGH CHOLESTEROL?
Being

Overweight

• Has their heart been weakened by the AF?
• What medications should they take to
control their heart rate?

HDL-RAISING:

Olive oil, avocados, walnuts

LDL AND TRIGLYCERIDELOWERING:

Age

Oatmeal, apples, oranges,
salmon, tofu

• What kind of activities can they perform
and what should they avoid?

CY

LDL-RAISING:

Being

CMY

Egg yolks, fatty meats,
shellfish, dairy products,
processed snacks

Inactive

K

Poor

Family

Diet

History

How is it

TREATED?

Lose

Eat A
Diet

Weight

Excessive drinking,
simple carbs/starches,
sugars, animal products

What raises LDL can also raise Triglycerides.

Don't

Smoke!

Regular
Exercise

Get

If you would like to download or order additional posters
on various topics, visit CardioSmart.org/Posters

ACC.org/CSWN

• Do they need to change their diet?

TRIGLYCERIDE-RAISING:

©2015, American College of Cardiology Z1541

HeartHealthy

Martha Gulati, MD, MS
CardioSmart Editor-in-Chief

The ACC has also launched “Blood Thinners
for Atrial Fibrillation: A Smart Decision Guide,”
a new tool designed to facilitate more effective conversations between clinicians and patients about anticoagulation treatment options.
The tool helps patients better understand their
CHADS2VASC2 stroke risk score and exactly
how anticoagulants lower that risk. In addition, it makes patients aware of their bleeding
risk estimated by HASBLED. Check it out at:
CardioSmart.org/SDMAFib. Additional AF resources, including an online clinical topic hub
and the AnticoagEvaluator mobile app, are
available on ACC.org. ■

CardioSource WorldNews

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