“Hypercholesterolemia is not yet perceived as a real major cardiovascular problem. There are still too many deaths linked to lack of cholesterol control: out of 100 deaths from cardiovascular pathologies, at least 20 are attributable to hypercholesterolemia, something that makes us very angry because we now have an important range of therapeutic options and there are doctors able to personalize lipid-lowering therapies to control cholesterol. Really, there are no more excuses ”. Thus Cristina Meneghin, scientific communication manager Italian Heart Foundation on the sidelines of the presentation of the new first-in-class anti-cholesterol bempedoic acid during the press conference “Add to reduce: bempedoic acid for those who do not re-add the LDL-C targets”, held in Rome at the Luigi Sturzo Institute.
“Unfortunately, there is no awareness of the risk associated with hypercholesterolemia – continues Meneghin – The average Italian knows that high cholesterol is an enemy of health, just as he knows that passive and active smoking, hypertension, an unhealthy lifestyle. However, he is not afraid of cholesterol. Instead, he is more afraid of the oncological disease because it is intrusive and evident. Conversely, hypercholesterolemia is a silent enemy that works on our blood vessels in a totally asymptomatic way. When we realize it, it is often too late, so the perception is not yet elevated”.
According to “our survey – highlights the expert – 60% of high-risk patients, therefore who have hypercholesterolemia and another comorbidity factor, are not aware of the danger they run. Just think that 1 out of 2 patients has no idea of what are his LDL threshold values, only one in ten knows the LDL values and of these, four know their own. And to say that they are high-risk patients, let’s imagine those at medium risk”. According to Meneghin, “there is not enough awareness to make people understand how fundamental it is to know and manage one’s cholesterol”. Hence the advice to “trust doctors – he concludes – because the opportunity is great. Today, fortunately, we have many therapeutic options to keep cholesterol at bay.