Cholesterol Mnemonic Aids Patient Education

Patients with newly diagnosed dyslipidemia often have difficulty remembering the difference between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. I tell them that the “H” in HDL is for “healthy” cholesterol and that the “L” in LDL is for “lousy” cholesterol; this makes it easier to explain why an elevated level of HDL cholesterol may be good for them.

-- Barbara Harrison, PhD, FNP-BC
Rochester, Mich

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