ST. JOHN. Cholesterol is better than its reputation suggests. Our body needs this lipid because, among other things, it is an important component of our cells, especially the cell membrane. However, too much cholesterol in the wrong place – in the blood and in the vessel wall – leads to vascular calcification and thus to an increased risk of circulatory disorders, heart attack and stroke.
Treat high cholesterol
“There are over 300 risk factors that influence our cholesterol level. When it comes to harmful deposits in the blood vessels, we are talking regarding the so-called bad cholesterol, better known by the abbreviation LDL,” said senior physician Hubert Wallner at the MeinMed lecture evening in St. John. He is the medical director of the interdisciplinary vascular center at the Cardinal Schwarzenberg Clinic and also illustrated his content with pictures and exciting videos. In terms of treatment, Wallner showed both mechanical therapy using a stent and long-term drug therapy in the form of tablets or injections. According to the vascular specialist, high cholesterol should not be taken lightly, because statistics show that 40 percent of men die from cardiovascular disease. In women, even every second cause of death can be attributed to it.
