KNOW YOUR NUMBERS
Knowing your cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure numbers goes a long way to maintaining your health and reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke. CHOLESTEROL Cholesterol is a fatty substance that’s found in animal-based foods such as meats, poultry, egg yolks, and whole milks. Do you know the other type of fat that is found in animal-based products? That’s right — saturated fat. So, when you follow the tips to reduce your saturated fat intake, in most cases, you will be reducing your dietary cholesterol intake at the same time. For example, if you switch to low-fat and fat-free dairy products, you will reduce your intake of both saturated fat and cholesterol. Total Cholesterol — This is the total measured cholesterol in your blood. This number includes all other types of cholesterol such as HDL and LDL, as defined below. High blood cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. It is important to know your numbers — You can’t tell if the cholesterol in your blood is high by how you feel. You’ll need a blood test from your healthcare provider to know. If you don’t know what your blood cholesterol level is, talk to your health care provider. HDL — HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The HDL cholesterol is often called “good” cholesterol because it helps carry cholesterol away from your body’s organs and to your liver where it can be removed. To help you remember, that HDL is the “good” cholesterol, recall that the “H” stands for high and higher HDL cholesterol is good.
THE RECOMMENDATION The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommend that individuals consume less than 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol each day.
Total Cholesterol Level
Category
<200 mg/dL
Desirable
200-239 mg/dL
Borderline High
Major Risk Factors That Affect Your LDL Goal • Cigarette smoking • High blood pressure (140/90 mmHg or higher or on blood pressure medication) • Low HDL cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL) • Family history of early heart disease (heart disease in father or brother before age 55; heart disease in mother or sister before age 65) • Age (men 45 years or older; women 55 years or older)
240 mg/dL or above
High
Triglycerides
Category
<150 mg/dL
Normal
150-199 mg/dL
Borderline High
200-499 mg/dL
High
500 mg/dL or above
Very High
LDL (Bad) Cholesterol Level
Category
<100 mg/dL
Optimal
100-129 mg/dL
Near/Above Optimal
130-159 mg/dL
Borderline High
160-189 mg/dL
High
190 mg/dL or above
Very High
HDL (Good) Cholesterol Level
Category
60 mg/dL or above
High (Higher is better)
<40 mg/DL
Low
LDL — LDL stands low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol is sometimes called “bad” cholesterol because it’s the type of cholesterol that is linked with a higher chance of heart disease. Remember that L stands for “low” and you want to keep LDL lower in your blood.
Too much cholesterol in the blood, or high blood cholesterol, can be serious. People with high blood cholesterol have a greater chance of getting heart disease. Cholesterol can build up on the walls of your arteries (blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body). This buildup of cholesterol is called plaque. Over time, plaque can cause narrowing of the arteries. Triglycerides — This is a type of fat found in your blood. Too much of this type of fat may raise the risk of coronary artery disease, especially in women. A blood test measures your triglycerides along with your cholesterol. Normal triglyceride levels are below 150. Levels above 200 are high. Factors that can raise your triglyceride level include — • Being overweight • A very high carbohydrate diet • Lack of physical activity • Certain diseases and medicines • Smoking • Some genetic disorders • Excessive alcohol use You may be able to lower your triglycerides with a combination of losing weight, diet, and exercise. You also may need to take medicine to lower your triglycerides.
BLOOD SUGAR (GLUCOSE) Blood sugar, or glucose, is the main sugar found in your blood. It comes from the food you eat, and is your body’s main source of energy. Your blood carries glucose to all of your body’s cells to use for energy. Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar levels are too high. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. Even if you don’t have diabetes, sometimes you may have problems with blood sugar that is too low or too high. Keeping a regular schedule of eating, activity, and taking any medicines you need can help. If you do have diabetes, it is very important to keep your blood sugar numbers in your target range. You may need to check your blood sugar several times each day. Your health care provider will also do a blood test called an A1C. It checks your average blood sugar level over the past three months. If your blood sugar is too high, you may need to take medicines and/or follow a special diet. Having diabetes or prediabetes puts you at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. You can lower your risk by keeping your blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol close to the recommended target numbers—the levels suggested by diabetes experts for good health. Reaching your targets also can help prevent narrowing or blockage of the blood vessels in your legs, a condition called peripheral arterial disease. If you have diabetes, you are at least twice as likely as someone who does not have diabetes to have heart disease or a stroke. People with diabetes also tend to develop heart disease or have strokes at an earlier age than other people. If you are middle-aged and have type 2 diabetes, some studies suggest that your chance of having a heart attack is as high as someone without diabetes who has already had one heart attack. In addition, heart attacks in people with diabetes are more serious and more likely to result in death.
Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dL)
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (md/dL)
Diabetes
126 or above
200 or above
Prediabetes
100 to 125
140 to 199
Normal
99 or below
139 or below
Managing Your Blood Sugar: Know How To … • Recognize and treat low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) • Take care of yourself when you are sick • Recognize and treat high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) • Find, buy, and store diabetes supplies • Plan diabetes meals • Get the checkups you need • Monitor your blood sugar
You should also live a healthy lifestyle.
• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. • Pick an activity you enjoy. Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise plans. • Follow your meal plan.
BLOOD PRESSURE High blood pressure is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems. “Blood pressure” is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways. About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure. The condition itself usually has no signs or symptoms. You can have it for years without knowing it. During this time, though, high blood pressure can damage your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body. Knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, even when you’re feeling fine. If your blood pressure is normal, you can work with your health care team to keep it that way. If your blood pressure is too high, treatment may help prevent damage to your body’s organs. Blood pressure is measured as systolic and diastolic pressures. “Systolic” refers to blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. “Diastolic” refers to blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. You most often will see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic number, such as 120/80. Blood pressure tends to rise with age. Following a healthy lifestyle helps some people delay or prevent this rise in blood pressure. People who have high blood pressure can take steps to control it and reduce their risk for related health problems. Key steps include following a healthy lifestyle, having ongoing medical care, and following your treatment plan. If you don’t have high blood pressure, you can take steps to prevent it. Healthy lifestyle habits can help you maintain normal blood pressure.
THE RECOMMENDATION Consume less than one teaspoon (2,300 mg) of sodium per day, including the sodium found in packaged or prepared foods. High Blood Pressure Can Cause ... • The heart to get larger or weaker, which may lead to heart failure. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. • Aneurysms to form in blood vessels. An aneurysm is an abnormal bulge in the wall of an artery. Common spots for aneurysms are the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the body; the arteries in the brain, legs, and intestines; and the artery leading to the spleen. • Blood vessels in the kidneys to narrow. This may cause kidney failure. • Arteries throughout the body to narrow in some places, which limits blood flow (especially to the heart, brain, kidneys, and legs). This can cause a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, or amputation of part of the leg. • Blood vessels in the eyes to burst or bleed. This may lead to vision changes or blindness. CATEGORY
SYSTOLIC
DIASTOLIC
Normal <120 and • Follow a healthy diet. Limit the amount of sodium (salt) and alcohol that you Elevated 120-129 and consume. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan promotes healthy eating. Stage 1 130-139 or • Be physically active. Routine physical activity can lower HBP and reduce your risk for Hypertension other health problems. Stage 2 • Maintain a healthy weight. Staying at a healthy weight can help you control HBP and ≥ 140 or Hypertension reduce your risk for other health problems. • Quit smoking. Smoking can damage your blood vessels and raise your risk for HBP. Smoking also can worsen health problems related to HBP. • Learn to manage and cope with stress. Learning how to manage stress, relax, and cope with problems can improve your emotional and physical health.
<80 <80 80-89 ≥ 90
Many people who adopt these healthy lifestyle habits are able to prevent or delay HBP. The more lifestyle changes you make, the more likely you are to lower your blood pressure and avoid related health problems. If you have high blood pressure, you can still take steps to prevent the long-term problems it can cause. The healthy lifestyle habits listed above and medicines can help you live a longer, more active life. Follow the treatment plan your doctor prescribes to control your blood pressure. Treatment can help you prevent or delay coronary heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other health problems. Information on this handout was taken from www.nih.gov and www.cdc.gov.
For more information, contact the St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Cardiovascular Institute — Beverly Keefer RN BSN SLCH Director Cardiovascular Services, Cardiac Cath and Interventional Radiology (845) 568-2087
SLCH#3252 1217