New Guidelines Recommend Earlier Cholesterol Testing and Treatment for Heart Disease Prevention

In Brief

Medical organizations now advise earlier cholesterol screening and treatment to reduce heart attacks and strokes.

Key Facts

• Eleven medical organizations have issued new guidelines recommending earlier cholesterol testing to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
• Millions more people may be advised to start cholesterol-lowering medications as early as their 30s, according to reports.
• The guidelines suggest major changes in preventive cardiac care, including earlier use of statins for younger adults.
• A new type of cholesterol test is now recommended to help assess lifetime cardiovascular risk.
• The guideline changes aim to markedly reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes.

What Happened

Multiple medical organizations released new guidelines recommending earlier cholesterol screening and treatment, including the use of statins for younger adults, to improve prevention of heart disease.

Why It Matters

Earlier detection and treatment of high cholesterol may help lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes for a larger segment of the population, potentially impacting millions of people.

What's Next

Healthcare providers are expected to update their practices in line with the new guidelines, and more adults in their 30s may be advised to begin cholesterol-lowering therapy.