What You May Not Know About Cholesterol

Posted: Monday, December 10, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 2:58 am, Tue Jan 15, 2013.

(BPT) - If you’re like 34 percent of American adults surveyed,* you may know your specific cholesterol numbers, but you may not know the significance of these numbers if you have high cholesterol. A survey conducted by AstraZeneca of more than 1000 American adults revealed that 63 percent of adults have heard of atherosclerosis, a progressive disease where plaque builds up in the arteries slowly over time.

Adults with high cholesterol and additional risk factors such as obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, or family history of early heart disease may be at increased risk for plaque buildup in their arteries. Importantly, the survey, sponsored by AstraZeneca, revealed that not all American adults recognize these as risk factors. Approximately 50 percent of those surveyed recognized all of these as risk factors; 40 percent identified only high cholesterol as a potential risk factor; 26 percent selected only family history of early heart disease; 22 percent knew smoking was a risk factor; 20 percent recognized only high blood pressure; and 12 percent selected diabetes as the only risk factor for atherosclerosis.