Overview
- The ACC and AHA published the multisociety cholesterol guideline on March 13, replacing 2018 advice with a prevention-first model as one in four U.S. adults have high LDL.
- Clinicians are asked to check cholesterol in children around ages 9–11, retest near age 20, then repeat at intervals to limit lifelong exposure to harmful lipids.
- Adults 30–79 should get 10- and 30-year risk estimates with PREVENT, a new calculator that factors in body mass index, cholesterol, and tobacco use to guide earlier care.
- The guideline restores specific LDL goals at roughly 100 mg/dL for most people, 70 mg/dL for higher-risk groups, and 55 mg/dL for those with prior heart attack or stroke.
- Risk can be refined with a one-time lipoprotein(a) test, selective apolipoprotein B, or coronary artery calcium scans, and adults 30 or older with LDL of 160 mg/dL on repeat tests may start medication, especially with a family history.