Voice of the Diabetic

Voice of the Diabetic

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NEW CHOLESTEROL TREATMENT

About 90% of all diabetics

in the United States have type 2, non insulin dependent diabetes. We know many

type 2s are overweight or obese, but what is less well known is that many also

have "lipid abnormalities," a high level of fatty acids in the bloodstream.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is frequent in type 2 diabetes, and it can be a

killer. Lots of type 2s have elevated LDL cholesterol, the bad kind. And a lot

of people who aren't diabetic have dangerously high cholesterol levels too.

Hypercholesterolemia,

high cholesterol (reports the Archives of Internal Medicine for 1999), can cause

a build- up of fatty streaks and plaque deposits on interior artery walls. This

condition is also known as atherosclerosis. It is estimated 52 million people

in the U.S. have at least mildly elevated cholesterol level (>98 million American

adults with total blood cholesterol >200 mg/dL, and 39 million >240 mg/dL).

As elevated LDL cholesterol is considered a major risk factor in the development

of CHD, this is a life and death issue.

We hear a lot of talk

about healthy diet, and about exercise, and these are important for prevention,

but with so many folks presenting with elevated cholesterol levels, doctors

have needed medical ways to get a patient's cholesterol down quickly. Traditionally,

this has meant the class of oral medications called the statins: Lipitor, Zocor,

Mevachor, etc.

The statins work, but

often they are not effective enough, and, because of the way they spread through

the body, and the fact that they can negatively interact with a number of other

medications, including certain heart drugs, they can be inappropriate for some.

Responding to this need,

Sankyo Pharma, inventor of the statin medications, has developed and tested

Welchol, a non- systemic prescription cholesterol-lowering oral medication.

Welchol is of interest for a number of reasons. First, some of the statins can

have serious side effects, and Welchol does not share them. Second, it does

not distribute itself system-wide, but works in the intestine, promptly passing

out of the body making Welchol a good choice for folks who already take a lot

of medications. Third, where Welchol alone does not drop the cholesterol enough,

it can be combined with statin medications like Lipitor, achieving a very high

degree of efficacy.

If your cholesterol is

elevated, talk to your doctor about Welchol. It could be worth your consideration.

If you don't know where your cholesterol is running, perhaps it is time for

a test? For more information about Welchol, contact: Sankyo Pharma Inc., Two

Hilton Court, Parsippany, NJ 07054; telephone: (973) 359-2600.

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