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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is It Safe Not To Take Statins In Case Of High Cholesterol?

My blood work in August 2013 showed a total cholesterol level of 207, however my hdl was 80, ldl was 116 and my triglycerides were 55, making my risk ratio 1.45 on a scale of 3.22. So I argued with my doctor AGAINST putting me on statins. Neither my mother or father had heart disease, although my father did have a heart valve replacement. Do you think I made the logical decision.
Mon, 5 Dec 2016
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Cardiologist,  's  Response
I actually agree with you from the numbers you provided above. An HDL of 80 is fantastic, as HDL is the "good" or "protective" form of cholesterol. The ratio of total Cholesterol to HDL is 2.6, so that is a very favorable ratio.

You don't mention how old you are, or whether you have heart disease yourself. You also don't mention what rationale your doctor gave you in favor of trying a statin.

Also, the blood work numbers you provided were from 2013, so I definitely would recommend you repeat the blood work, now that it is almost 3 1/2 years later. Numbers can change as we age, or as our diets change. Assuming your numbers are in a similar range, then if you have never had a cardiovascular incident or evidence of peripheral arterial disease, then I would not recommend taking a statin. But, please re-check your blood work before making that decision, and discuss it with your doctor who knows your case very well and has examined you.

Good luck.
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Cardiologist,  Dr. Sukhvinder Singh's  Response
Dear Sir
Thanks for your query. I am afraid I can only partly agree to you. Yes, We need to know the history, other risk factors, age, gender, presence of any CV illness before we can determine that if Statins are really required.
I request you to provide more details, so that we can discuss it out.
Sincerely
Sukhvinder
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Is It Safe Not To Take Statins In Case Of High Cholesterol?

I actually agree with you from the numbers you provided above. An HDL of 80 is fantastic, as HDL is the good or protective form of cholesterol. The ratio of total Cholesterol to HDL is 2.6, so that is a very favorable ratio. You don t mention how old you are, or whether you have heart disease yourself. You also don t mention what rationale your doctor gave you in favor of trying a statin. Also, the blood work numbers you provided were from 2013, so I definitely would recommend you repeat the blood work, now that it is almost 3 1/2 years later. Numbers can change as we age, or as our diets change. Assuming your numbers are in a similar range, then if you have never had a cardiovascular incident or evidence of peripheral arterial disease, then I would not recommend taking a statin. But, please re-check your blood work before making that decision, and discuss it with your doctor who knows your case very well and has examined you. Good luck.