Animation Movie Available Understanding Cholesterol Levels

Definition

You have this condition if there are high levels of cholesterol in the blood. There are three parts of cholesterol:

  • Low density lipoproteins (LDL)—involved in depositing cholesterol and other fats throughout the body, high levels of LDL put you at risk for hardening of the arteries and heart disease
  • High density lipoproteins (HDL)—involved in eliminating cholesterol and other fats from the body, high levels of HDL are protective against heart disease
  • Triglycerides—a common form of fat in the body

Causes

Causes of high cholesterol include:

Risk Factors

These factors increase your chance of developing high cholesterol. Tell your doctor if you have any of these:

  • 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. If not treated, it often leads to hardening of the arteries (called atherosclerosis ). This condition ends up blocking blood as it travels through arteries. In severe 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

Atherosclerosis

atherosclerosis

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Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam. These tests are used to measure the cholesterol levels in your blood:

  • Total cholesterol
  • HDL cholesterol
  • LDL cholesterol
  • Triglycerides

Treatment

Treatment may include:

Lifestyle Changes

Cholesterol-Lowering Medication

If diet and exercise don't lower cholesterol, you may need medication. Examples include:

  • Cholestyramine (Questran)
  • Colestipol (Colestid)
  • Niacin (Niacor)
  • Statins
    • Lovastatin (Mevacor)
    • Pravastatin (Pravachol)
    • Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
    • Simvastatin (Zocor)
  • Ezetimibe (Zetia)

Statins are often prescribed for high cholesterol. They have been shown to reduce mortality and heart attacks . Ezetimibe has reduced plaque in arteries, but has not been shown to reduce mortality.

If you are at high risk for coronary artery disease , combination therapy may be needed to lower LDL.

Prevention

To help reduce your chance of getting high cholesterol, follow the lifestyle changes .