30 or older? Major heart orgs now recommend you get this screening test

Doctors should begin screening for heart disease and treating people for high cholesterol levels even younger than before, according to new recommendations from major medical organizations.

The American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and nine other leading medical associations jointly issued the updated guidelines, which were published in the journals JACC and Circulation on March 13.

While healthy lifestyle intervention and average cholesterol screening should start in childhood, the updated guidelines now recommend an additional screening test and accelerated treatment plan for those as young as 30.

Lipoprotein (a), or Lp(a), should be measured at least once in adulthood, the new guidelines state, as it is a genetic marker of heart disease risk. The higher the number, the more increased long-term risk of heart attack or stroke. Lp(a) and cholesterol levels are screened via a blood sample.

Additionally, the new guidelines recommend medicinal intervention for lowering LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, starting as young as 30 when behavior and diet changes aren't enough.

“While we want to try to optimize healthy lifestyle habits as the first step to lower cholesterol, we realize that if lipid numbers aren’t within the desirable range after a period of lifestyle optimization, we should consider adding lipid-lowering medication earlier than we would have considered 10 years ago,” Dr. Roger S. Blumenthal, chair of the guideline writing committee, said in a news release. “Lower [LDL-C] for longer, just like lower blood pressure for longer, results in much greater protection against future heart attack and stroke risk.”

While statin medications remain the "foundation of lipid-lowering and risk reduction," according to the guidelines, non-statin therapies should be considered when LDL-C levels are not adequately lowered on statins.

So, what should your LDL goals be to prevent a first heart attack or stroke? For those at borderline or intermediate risk, the organizations recommend an LDL-C of less than 100 mg/dL. For those at high risk, less than 70 mg/dL.