How low should cholesterol go after a stroke?
The LDL cholesterol in stroke limbo: how low can we go?
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Very low LDL-C (below 70 mg/dL) reduced major cardiovascular events without increasing brain bleeding or diabetes.
There’s long been concern that extremely low cholesterol could increase risks of hemorrhagic stroke and diabetes — but this study found no significant rise in either, despite a clear benefit.
Practical Takeaways
If you’ve had a stroke or TIA, talk to your doctor about whether aiming for LDL-C below 70 mg/dL with statins and ezetimibe might reduce your risk of another event.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Very low LDL-C (below 70 mg/dL) reduced major cardiovascular events without increasing brain bleeding or diabetes.
There’s long been concern that extremely low cholesterol could increase risks of hemorrhagic stroke and diabetes — but this study found no significant rise in either, despite a clear benefit.
Practical Takeaways
If you’ve had a stroke or TIA, talk to your doctor about whether aiming for LDL-C below 70 mg/dL with statins and ezetimibe might reduce your risk of another event.
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Claims (4)
Keeping your 'bad' cholesterol really low—below 55 mg/dL—might give your heart and blood vessels the best protection against clogged arteries and heart problems.
If you've had a mini-stroke or a full stroke, lowering your 'bad' cholesterol really aggressively doesn't seem to raise your risk of bleeding in the brain — one group had 1.3% risk, another had 0.9%, so it might be safe.
If you've had a mini-stroke or a full stroke, lowering your 'bad' cholesterol really aggressively doesn't seem to raise your chances of getting diabetes — the numbers show only a small difference between groups.
For people who've had a mini-stroke or full stroke, getting their 'bad' cholesterol really low — under 70 — with two cholesterol drugs seems to cut their risk of heart problems by about 22% over three and a half years, compared to keeping it a bit higher.