What treatments are available to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

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If you are at high risk of developing a cardiovascular disease then drug treatment is usually advised along with advice to tackle any lifestyle issues. This usually means:

Drug treatment to lower your cholesterol level, usually with a statin drug. No matter what your current cholesterol level, drug treatment is advised. There are several brands of statin drug. They work by blocking an enzyme (chemical) which is needed to make cholesterol in the liver. See leaflet called 'Statins' for details. The aim is:

*To reduce total cholesterol to less than 4.0 mmol/l and LDL cholesterol to less than 2.0 mmol/l, OR
*A 25% reduction in total cholesterol and a 30% reduction in LDL cholesterol.
Whichever is the biggest reduction.

Drug treatment to lower blood pressure if your blood pressure is high. This is even if your blood pressure is just mildly high.
A daily low dose of aspirin - depending on your age and other factors. Aspirin helps to prevent blood clots from forming on patches of atheroma.
Where relevant, to encourage you even more to tackle lifestyle risk factors. This means to:

*stop smoking if you smoke.
*eat a healthy diet.
*keep your weight and waist in check.
*take regular physical activity.
*cut back if you drink a lot of alcohol.
You may be offered a referred to specialist services. For example, to a dietician to help you to lose weight and eat a healthy diet, to a specialist 'stop smoking clinic', or to a supervised exercise programme.