What is your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack? Use this tool to find out.
In general, the higher your cholesterol level and the more risk factors you have, the higher your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Certain risk factors, such as diabetes, also put people at high risk. If you already have heart disease, then you're at high risk for having a heart attack.
The following risk-assessment tool is based on guidelines established by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) (part of the National Institutes of Health [NIH])*. This tool can calculate your risk of having a heart attack within the next 10 years.
Determine your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack and find out what your cholesterol goal should be. Answer the following questions and click the Calculate button. If you don't know the answers to any of these questions, discuss them with your doctor.
| If You Have | You Are in Risk Category | LDL-C Goal (mg/dL) |
| Heart disease, diabetes, or risk score of more than 20% | I. Highest Risk | <100 |
| 2 or more risk factors and risk score of 10%–20% | II. Moderately High Risk | <130 |
| 2 or more risk factors and risk score of less than 10% | III. Moderate Risk | <130 |
| 0 or 1 risk factor | IV. Low to Moderate Risk | <160 |
This information is provided for educational purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician.
Your doctor or health care professional can give you a more detailed explanation—and personal recommendation—about what your cholesterol numbers should be. But the most important thing to do at this point is to take action.
Important Risk Information About VYTORIN:
VYTORIN is a prescription tablet and isn’t right for everyone, including women who are nursing or pregnant or who may become pregnant, and anyone with liver problems.
Unexplained muscle pain or weakness could be a sign of a rare but serious side effect and should be reported to your doctor right away. VYTORIN may interact with other medicines or certain foods, increasing your risk of getting this serious side effect. So, tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking.
Your doctor may do simple blood tests before and during treatment with VYTORIN to check for liver problems. Side effects included headache, muscle pain, and diarrhea.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
VYTORIN contains two cholesterol medicines, Zetia (ezetimibe) and Zocor (simvastatin), in a single tablet. VYTORIN has not been shown to reduce heart attacks or strokes more than Zocor alone.
Please read the Patient Product Information and discuss it with your doctor. Also available is the physician Prescribing Information.
