High cholesterol — also called lipid disorder, hyperlipidemia, and hypercholesterolemia in medical terms is a common health problem across the globe. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around 94 million American adults aged 20 or older have borderline high cholesterol. When blood contains too much LDL cholesterol, it may be diagnosed with high cholesterol.
What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy fat that the liver produces naturally. It’s essential to make cell membranes, certain hormones, and vitamin D and also play a role in digestion. Cholesterol doesn’t dissolve in water and can’t travel in the bloodstream on its own. It needs lipoproteins to travel through the blood.
There are mainly three types of cholesterol in the body:-
- High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) — It’s considered good cholesterol that removes excess cholesterol from the body.
- Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) — It’s called bad cholesterol as it may lead to the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
- Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) — It’s also considered bad cholesterol as it promotes plaque buildup in the arteries.
Cardiologists at Peak Heart & Vascular, suggest that timely and proper cholesterol treatment is crucial as it can potentially lead to life-threatening conditions, such as heart attack and stroke.
Peak Heart & Vascular has the country’s top cardiologists, with campuses in Avondale, Surprise, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Laveen, Peoria, Sun City West, and Prescott. Their esteemed cardiologist and skilled staff ensure quality treatment and care.
What Are The Symptoms Of High Cholesterol?
Specialists suggest that high cholesterol is silent and shows no symptoms in most cases. Most people don’t even realize that they have high cholesterol until they develop some serious health complications.
If you have high cholesterol, your body starts storing extra cholesterol in the arteries. The buildup of cholesterol in the artery is called plaque, which can narrow or block the artery completely, leading to a heart attack or stroke.
This is the reason routine cholesterol check-ups are important. A blood test is the best way to ensure if you have it or not.
How Is Cholesterol Diagnosed?
Experts recommend that everyone older than 20 years of age should get their cholesterol level checked at least once every five years. Since high cholesterol doesn’t have any symptoms, most people are unaware that their cholesterol levels are high.
High cholesterol diagnosis is essential as it helps the doctor understand the condition thoroughly. The doctor performs a simple blood test called lipoprotein profile to diagnose cholesterol.
The test helps the doctor understand the following:-
- Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
- High-density lipoprotein cholesterol
- Triglycerides
- Total cholesterol level
Apart from this, the doctor may also perform a physical exam, discuss your medical history, and check your heart rate and blood pressure.
How Is High Cholesterol Treated?
If a lipoprotein test indicates you have high cholesterol and there is a risk for heart disease, the doctor recommends various treatment options that range from dietary and lifestyle changes to medication.
Dietary Changes To Lower High Cholesterol
To lower cholesterol, your doctor may recommend you the following dietary changes:-
- Do exercise regularly
- Add chicken, fish, and legumes to your diet.
- Eat high fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Choose baked, broiled, steamed, grilled, and roasted foods with less oil and spice.
Lower intake of foods high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats. Refrain from eating sugary pre-packed items. Foods high in cholesterol and saturated as well as trans fats include the following:-
- Red meat
- Egg yolks
- Organ meats
- High-fat dairy products
- Certain cookies and muffins
- Processed foods made with palm oil or cocoa butter
- Deep-fried foods include potato chips, onion rings, and fried chicken, etc.
You can add fish and foods high in omega 3 fatty acids to your diet as they help greatly in lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
Fishes such as salmon, mackerel, and herring are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids that help in lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Features of Good Yoga Wear
You can also add walnuts, almonds, ground flaxseeds, and avocado to your diet. They are effective in helping with high cholesterol. However, do consult with your doctor for the same before going ahead with it.
Medications For Cholesterol
Apart from dietary changes, the doctor also prescribes medication to help lower cholesterol levels.
Usually, the doctor recommends statins as they block the liver from producing more cholesterol. Examples of statins include:-
- Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
- Fluvastatin (Lescol)
- Simvastatin (Zocor)
- Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
Apart from this, the doctor may also recommend other medications that include:-
- Niacin
- Colesevelam (Welchol)
- Colestipol (Colestid)
- Cholestyramine (Prevalite)
- Ezetimibe (Zetia)
- PCSK9 Inhibitors
Take Away
In most cases, people don’t even know if they have high cholesterol. Therefore, routine check-ups are important. With timely diagnosis and proper treatment, cholesterol can easily be treated and lowered effectively.
However, if high cholesterol is ignored or left untreated for a long period, it has the potential to lead to serious complications, including heart attack and stroke. Hence, the treatment of high cholesterol becomes critical.
If you are doubtful about having high cholesterol, you should consult a cardiologist, undergo the hyperlipidemia diagnosis, and get timely treatment to avoid further complications.
