"Despite the 3benefits of these treatments for high cholesterol, they're 4underutilized."
Dr. Caleb Alexander with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the 5lead author of a study that 6analyzed 5,000 U.S. adults.
About half of those studied 7were eligible to take medication to lower cholesterol. But only about 23% of the patients who had never had a major 8cardiovascular event were taking the medicine to reduce risk of one.
And of those who have had a major event, only about 68% were taking the medication.
"These treatments include 9statins, which many people may be familiar with. These drugs are safe and effective and have been 10on the market for many, many years, but there are also newer treatments."
Alexander says there are many reasons people aren't taking 11cholesterol-lowering medication.
Many are 12undiagnosed and skip yearly 13checkups, so they don't know they have high cholesterol.
Others may not feel they need treatment or are unable to afford it. And others don't remember to take the medicine 14consistently.
"Tens of thousands of heart attacks and 15tens of thousands of strokes could be prevented each year if people were receiving treatment for high cholesterol that's 16in accordance with the best expert guidelines."