High cholesterol often goes untreated, report finds

A significant number of adults may benefit from a prescription to buy Lipitor, as a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that a large percentage of Americans who have high cholesterol do not have their condition under control.

The study was conducted to assess utilization of preventive health services from 2007 to 2010. The numbers were meant to provide a baseline from which to study the effects of the Affordable Care Act, which encourages use of preventive medicine. However, the researchers found that many Americans do not receive the type of care they need.

Results showed that only about 68 percent of adults had received a cholesterol test within the past five years. What's more, among those who had been diagnosed with high LDL cholesterol, only about 31 percent had their conditions under control. Less than half of all people diagnosed with heart disease were advised to take aspirin.

The authors of the report said the findings indicate very low levels of preventive medicine utilization. This could represent a strong potential for physicians and public health officials to make progress in connecting patients to the right treatments.