Hypercholesterolemia
What is it?
Hypercholesterolemia is a condition in which
levels of cholesterol in the blood are higher than
normal. A normal or desirable cholesterol level is
less than 200 mg of cholesterol per deciliter of
blood. Elevated cholesterol is a level over 240
and is considered to be hypercholesterolemia. Too
much cholesterol in the blood will cause plaque to
form inside the blood vessel walls, causing them
to thicken and narrow. This change can increase
the risk of heart disease and heart attacks.
Who gets it?
Anyone with a diet high in saturated fat and
cholesterol, is overweight and doesn’t get enough
exercise is at a greater risk for developing
hypercholesterolemia. In addition, as men and
women get older, their cholesterol levels rise.
Hypercholesterolemia can run in families, since
heredity partly determines how much cholesterol
the body makes.
What causes it?
Hypercholesterolemia is caused by high
cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is divided into
two major categories: low-density lipoprotein (LDL),
the so-called "bad" cholesterol, and high-density
lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called "good"
cholesterol. Diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol, and
certain illnesses can affect the levels of both
types of cholesterol. Eating a high fat diet will
increase one's level of LDL cholesterol.
Exercising and reducing one's weight will both
increase HDL cholesterol and lower LDL
cholesterol.
Hypercholesterolemia can also be an inherited
problem that affects the way the body processes
cholesterol. Hypercholesterolemia can also be
caused by any disease that raises LDL cholesterol
levels, such as diabetes mellitus, kidney disease,
liver disease, or hypothyroidism.
What are the symptoms?
Hypercholesterolemia has no obvious symptoms
until problems have already developed. Heart
disease or a heart attack can be the result of
hypercholesterolemia, and symptoms include chest
pain and calf pain when walking (due to narrowed
or blocked arteries).
How is it diagnosed?
A doctor will diagnose hypercholesterolemia by
a blood test. The patient will abstain from eating
and drinking anything but water for 12 hours
before blood is drawn for the test. The blood will
be tested to determine the LDL and HDL cholesterol
levels, which can only be determined after
fasting. A cholesterol level above 240 indicates
elevated cholesterol levels and
hypercholesterolemia.
What is the treatment?
Treatment for hypercholesterolemia will involve
trying to lower the LDL cholesterol in the blood.
A diet high in fiber and low in fat, saturated fat
and cholesterol can help lower these levels. The
doctor may also recommend the patient lose weight
and begin an exercise program.
If diet and exercise are not enough to lower
cholesterol levels, the doctor may prescribe drugs
such as cholestyramine (Questran), colestipol (Colestid),
lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol),
simvastatin (Zocor), probucol (Lorelco),
gemfibrozil, or niacin.
Lowering cholesterol levels is very important
to prevent complications such as heart disease and
heart attacks. For every one percent reduction in
cholesterol level, the risk of heart disease is
reduced by two percent.
Self-care tips
To prevent hypercholesterolemia, people should
adopt a healthy diet, exercise, quit smoking,
maintain a normal weight and have cholesterol
levels and weight checked regularly by a doctor.
People who have a family history of early heart
attacks especially should be checked regularly.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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