Your body needs cholesterol to work properly. When you have extra cholesterol in your blood, it builds up inside the walls of your arteries (blood vessels), including the ones that go to your heart. This buildup is called plaque.
Plaque narrows your arteries and slows or stops the blood flow. This can cause a heart attack, stroke, or other serious heart disease.
Below are some questions you may want to ask your doctor or nurse to help you take care of your cholesterol.
What is my cholesterol level? What should my cholesterol level be?
What medicines am I taking to treat high cholesterol?
What is a heart-healthy diet?
What can I do to stop smoking?
Should I start an exercise program?
Hyperlipidemia - what to ask your doctor; What to ask your doctor about cholesterol
Updated by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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