Know Your Numbers

Dave had a heart attack when he was only 42 years old and triple bypass surgery at 51.  He is now a 64 year-old grandfather of three with a fourth on the way.  He recently retired and is now pursuing his lifelong dream:  he’s a full-time college student getting the teaching degree he always wanted.  Dave will celebrate his 36^th Father’s Day this weekend and he looks forward to many more. 
 
Dave regularly tracks his own blood pressure and keeps track of his weight, but there are some other important numbers for Dave (and all of us) to know.  
 
Don’t know your numbers?  If you haven’t had an annual physical this year, it’s time to schedule one.  If you have, your physician’s office should have your numbers for you.

NUMBERS YOU SHOULD KNOW	YOUR RESULTS NEED TO BE
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL	Less than 190
HDL (Good Cholesterol) High Density Lipoprotein	Greater than 45 for men Greater than 55 for women
LDL (Bad Cholesterol) Low Density Lipoprotein	Less than 70 (Heart disease, diabetes, kidney  or carotid disease, aneurysm) Less than 100 for primary prevention (No heart disease with two or more risk factors)
TRIGLYCERIDES	Less than 150
Ratio (Total Cholesterol / HDL)	Less than 4.0
BLOOD PRESSURE Category Systolic (Top) Diastolic (Bottom) Normal Less than 120 Less than 80 Prehypertensive 120-139 80-89 Hypertension Stage 1 140-159 90-99 Hypertension Stage 2 Greater or equal to 160 Greater or equal to 100    If consistently greater than 130/80 (either number), we recommend contacting your healthcare provider.
GLUCOSE (Fasting Blood Sugar) Normal FBG (Fasting Blood Glucose) Less than 100 Pre-Diabetes FBG (Fasting Blood Glucose) 100-125 Diabetes FBG (Fasting Blood Glucose) Greater than 126
Waist Circumference If you are Caucasian, African-American or Hispanic, we recommend the waist circumference to be less than half your height in inches.  To determine waist circumference, use a tape measure to circle your waist at the height of your belly button.
Vitamin D For optimal health, vitamin D levels should be between 40 and 70 ng/mL. This test may not be a part of your regular physical, but you can request it.
PSA (Prostate –Specific Antigen) This is not a heart-health screening, but we think it’s vital for men to know. Most healthy men have PSA numbers of four or below.

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