Thread by @cdesetfree

1.Diabetes and Cholesterol

Cholesterol is fat that is found in our blood. Sometimes it’s called lipids. When we hear this word, we think of it building up in our arteries and contributing to long-term health problems, but cholesterol isn’t just a bad guy.

2.Healthy levels of cholesterol are vital for our cells to function and to make vitamin D and some hormones.

There are two main types – HDL or high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) and LDL or low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol).

3.If the levels of your bad cholesterol become too high and the good cholesterol too low, you are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications (also known as CVD or heart disease).

4.There are also triglycerides (a combination of three fatty acids combined with glycerol, a form of glucose). These can have bad effects on your health if levels are high, too.

For many people, eating a healthy, balanced diet and being physically active is enough to keep.......

5.......cholesterol levels healthy. But if your bad cholesterol is high, most people need medication to lower it. And for people with diabetes, it is important that you have your levels checked every year.

6. Many people who have Type 1 diabetes should be prescribed statin treatment for the primary prevention of heart disease. This means you may not have high cholesterol levels, but statins help to keep them in a healthy range and reduce the risk of heart disease.

7.Those people with type 1 diabetes who should be offered statins, regardless of their cholesterol levels, include:

a)People older than 40 years.

b)Those who have had diabetes for more than 10 years.

c)Those with established kidney damage or other CVD risk factors.

8.For primary prevention of CVD, people with type 2 diabetes who have a 10% or greater 10-year risk of developing CVD should be offered statins.

If you have high cholesterol levels, you should have a blood test to measure total cholesterol.......

9.......HDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol three months after starting statin treatment, with an aim of 40% reduction in non-HDL cholesterol.
Ask your healthcare team what your individual targets are for your cholesterol levels.

#KnowDiabetes
#DiabetesAwarenessMonth