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Few people with high cholesterol receive treatment for their condition

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Despite the high prevalence of deaths resulting from heart disease, few Americans who have received unhealthy cholesterol test results have taken steps to improve their heart health, according to a new statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report says that one out of every three Americans has high cholesterol. To make matters worse, two-thirds of these individuals do not have their condition under control and half are not receiving regular treatment for high cholesterol.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death of the U.S. Despite this fact, Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, said that the numbers show that little is being done to correct the problem.

"Although we're making some progress, the United States is failing to prevent the leading cause of death - cardiovascular disease - despite the existence of low cost, highly effective treatments," he said. "We need to do a better job improving care and supporting patients to prevent avoidable illness, disability and death."

He added that one out of every six dollars spent on healthcare goes to treating heart disease, which is completely avoidable.