Is medication required to manage high levels of LDL?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am 43 years old. I do not smoke or drink, but my food habits are not very good.

Recently, I got my blood checked for Apo B/Apo A and the ratio was really bad at 1.6. The triglyceride is around 474 mg/dL and this rose from 270 mg/dL around three months back. My HDL is 26 mg/dL, LDL 116 mg/dL and TC 237 cells/mm3.

Let me explain that my last 60 days diet which was really high on rice and oil. I also had a lot of cashew nuts in the last 30 days before this checkup. Fasting sugar is 114 mg/dL and postprandial 170 mg/dL.

May I know whether I need to start taking any medication or if this can be taken care of by exercise? My last three years' blood report has been showing elevated reports of LDL around 180 mg/dL and my TC has been around 270 cells/mm3. I have always maintained my blood glucose level within the normal range, but this time it has overshot (114). My BP has always been bang on 120/80 mmHg. Please advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

We are here to help you.

You definitely need treatment for high cholesterol along with dietary modifications. You need to be started on a combination of Atorvastatin and Fenofibrate. Start regular exercise and avoid oil, rice, and potatoes.

For blood sugars, you can wait for some time and try to control it with lifestyle changes only. After one month, you should get a repeat lipid profile as well as a test known as HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin), which will give you an average of three months' blood sugar value.

I hope that you get your answer.

Please let me know if you want some help.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Every medicine has its side effects, but it is not essential that everyone gets that. We need to compare the harmful effects of the disease versus the drug. In your case, the disease is going to harm you more. The commonly seen side effects of the medicine discussed above are myalgia (muscle pain), myopathy (a disease of the muscle in which the muscle fibers do not function properly), and liver dysfunction.

I hope that you get your answer.

Please let me know if you want some help.

Thank you.