Understanding Cholesterol Levels
You have this condition if there are high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
There are three parts of cholesterol:
- Low density lipoproteins (LDL)—known as bad cholesterol. It causes build up of cholesterol and other fats in the blood vessels. High LDL levels can cause artery and heart disease.
- High density lipoproteins (HDL)—known as good cholesterol. It can remove cholesterol and other fats from the blood vessels. High levels of HDL can protect against heart disease.
- Triglycerides—a common form of fat in the body. Often elevated in people with diabetes or certain genetic conditions.
- Particles—proteins associated with certain types of cholesterols in the body. These may be a better signal about your risk of developing disease in the blood vessels.
Causes
Causes of high cholesterol include:
Risk Factors
These factors increase your chance of high cholesterol:
- Age: cholesterol levels tend to rise with age
-
Sex:
- Family members with high cholesterol
- High-fat diet
-
Obesity, overweight
- Sedentary lifestyle
Symptoms
High cholesterol rarely causes symptoms, but can increase your risk of
atherosclerosis. This is a dangerous hardening of the arteries. It can end up blocking blood flow. In some cases, this may result in:
If you have an inherited form of high cholesterol, cholesterol deposits in the:
- Tendons
- Under the eyes
- Around the cornea
Diagnosis
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. Your doctor will ask about other factors that may increase your risk of heart disease or stroke such as high blood pressure, or diabetes. A physical exam will be done. These
tests
are used to measure the cholesterol levels in your blood:
Blood test to measure:
- Total cholesterol
- HDL cholesterol
- LDL cholesterol
- Triglycerides
Treatment
Treatment is aimed at decreasing not only your cholesterol levels, but also decreasing other risk factors for heart disease and strokes.
Lifestyle Changes
-
Eat a
low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. Eat
high-fiber
food.
A
vegetarian
or vegan diet may be helpful in lowering your LDL cholesterol. Talk to your doctor about the best meal plan for you.
-
Begin a safe
exercise program
with the advice of your doctor.
-
If you smoke,
quit.
-
If you are overweight,
lose weight.
- Avoid processed and refined sugars and starches (white bread, white potatoes, white rice and simple sugars)
- Drink alcohol in moderation. This means two drinks per day for men, and one drink per day for women.
- Make sure other medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes are being treated and controlled.
Cholesterol-Lowering Medication
Your doctor may prescribe medication to help lower your risk for heart disease and to help lower your cholesterol levels. Examples include:
Statins
have been shown to reduce mortality (death),
heart attacks, and stroke.
These medicines are best used as additions to diet and exercise and should not replace healthy lifestyle changes.
Prevention
To help reduce your chance of getting high cholesterol, follow the
lifestyle changes
above. Work with your doctor to monitor and control your cholesterol levels.
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Primary Care Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000.
Heart disease and stroke statistics update. American Heart Association website. Available at:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1928. Updated 2008. Accessed July 7, 2008.
How can I lower high cholesterol? American Heart Association website. Available at:
http://www.americanheart.org. Published October 2007. Accessed July 7, 2008.
Lipid-lowering pharmacotherapy overview. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:
http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php. Updated September 2008. Accessed September 23, 2008.
Third report of the expert panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). National Cholesterol Education Program website. Available at:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/index.htm. Accessed December 17, 2007.
What is cholesterol?
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbc/HBC_WhatIs.html. Updated February 2006. Accessed July 7, 2008.
12/14/2009 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance
http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php: Ferdowsian HR, Barnard ND. Effects of plant-based diets on plasma lipids.
Am J Cardiol. 2009;104(7):947-956.
Last reviewedSeptember 2011by
�Michael J. Fucci, DO
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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