BAD CHOLESTEROL AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE CONTRIBUTE TO HEART ATTACK RISK

According to recent research that was published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, high levels of lipoprotein(a), a form of "bad" cholesterol, may raise the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with hypertension by 18-20 percent.

Hypertension is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

When a person has hypertension and lipid imbalance, or dyslipidemia, their cardiovascular disease risk substantially increases.

Lipoproteins, which are made up of protein and fat, carry cholesterol through the blood. Much like LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a) cholesterol may deposit and build up in the walls of blood vessels, thus increasing a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke.

The research used health data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), an ongoing community-based study in the U.S. of subclinical cardiovascular disease-meaning the disease is discovered before there are clinical signs and symptoms.

The current study included 6,674 MESA participants who had lipoprotein(a) levels and blood pressure assessed and for whom there was documented cardiovascular disease event data throughout MESA's follow-up exams in approximately 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010, and 2017 to gather interim data on new diagnoses, procedures, hospitalization, and deaths.

Participants were followed for an average of approximately 14 years and cardiovascular events, including heart attack, cardiac arrest, stroke, or death from coronary artery disease, were tracked.

According to the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 guidelines, eating well, exercising, quitting smoking, getting enough sleep, maintaining a healthy weight, and managing blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels can help anyone improve their cardiovascular health.