Worried abot Cholesterol Levels

[BottyBurp]

A short while ago I noticed 2 semi circular rings in each eye & after Googling it I discovered that they are possibly "Corneal Arcus" rings so I booked up a fasting blood test at the doctors.
My Cholesterol level is apparently 7.9 but my doctor never told me if this is HDL, LDL or the total of both but even so, it is still too high!
My father was 46 when he died of a massive heart attack, he smoked a pipe but was very slim, I however stopped smoking 2 years ago & have gone from 13 to 15 stone & am 47 years old. My doctor has prescribed me some Simvastatin Tablets 40mg, will they help to lower my Cholesterol levels quickly please as I am quite worried about it. I also bought some Herbal Tablets called SerraEzyme (Serrapeptase) which supposedly clear out archeries & stuff!
I don't eat what I would call unhealthy foods as I never have fried stuff but I am partial to the odd cake or biscuits which I will have to leave out now!
Kris

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[BottyBurp]

Thank you cath278
I do have to see the doctor again at the end of July so hopefully if these tablets have started to work then it may have come down a bit!
Kris

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[Cath278]

Hi there .Just read your post and yes the readings are different in the UK to the USA. A "good" or acceptable level in the UK would be under 5. So ,at 7.9 yours is quite high and with the family history you really need to get it down. Go back and ask your dr to explain it to you, there are good and bad LDL and HDL so ther ecould be some good news. Diet and exercise are very important in keeping the levels down. Its a hard fight but you are not alone! cath278

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

He was probably talking about the ratio of Bad (LDL) to Good (HDL).   You can confirm this next time. Total cholesteral should be less than 200 if family history of heart disease or stroke lower than 160

JCH MD

[BottyBurp]

Thank you for such a quick response John C Hagan III, MD, FACS.
I have to see the doctor again in 1 months time to see if their has been any improvement in my Cholesterol levels so I will mention this to him.
Do you know if we work on a different Cholesterol level system here in the UK as he did say it was 7.9 & should be about 4?
Thank you for helping me.
Kris

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

If you are younger than 60 then the corneal arcus is often a predictor of high blood fats (lipids) and cardivascular disease.

7.9 is not a cholesteral level.   Its too low for total cholesterol or LDL or HDL.

I would suggest you see a cardiologist for a complete cardiac work up and a thorough discussion of your lipids. You may need special tests like Thalium Stress Test or 64 slice CT.

JCH MD