Hypercholesterol
What Is
Hypercholesterol?
Cholesterol
is a kind of waxy substance (fat-like substance) that’s found in all cells of
the body. Cholesterol has very
important functions to our body. The body needs cholesterol to develop
hormones, vitamin D, and any other substances that useful for foods digesting
process.
Basically there are three different types of cholesterol: low density lipoprotein (LDL), high
density lipoprotein (HDL), and very low
density lipoprotein (VLDL). In addition to three main cholesterol, a kind
of lipid that need to be considered is triglycerides. However, triglycerides
provide some positive and necessary functions in the body – energy source,
insulation and protection, and nutrition.
Then, Hypercholesterol or high cholesterol is a condition
when cholesterol level beyond the normal cholesterol levels (more than 240 mg / DL). In the medical world, this condition is also referred to hypercholesterolemia. This condition is a type of abnormal blood lipid profile (dyslipidemia). The state of dyslipidemia is usually marked by the high presence of LDL cholesterol and triglyceride
levels and low HDL cholesterol levels.
The Symptoms of High Cholesterol
High cholesterol levels are not necessarily going to show in any
indication or any symptom. Symptoms of high cholesterol are usually due to the appearances of heart and vascular diseases or because of the build
up of cholesterol deposits in
organs. For certain people, the accumulation of total fat would
deposit under the skin and form a
xanthoma. When cholesterol
layers become thicken the lining of the blood vessels can cause blockages in
the heart and brain. If not
fatal, this condition will cause chest pain
and disruption of blood flow to the brain.
With the increasingly thick layer of cholesterol
in blood vessels will cause the blood vessels become stiff and inelastic,
causing high blood pressure symptoms (hypertension). Symptoms of
hypertension could be in the forms of headaches or feel heavy at necks. If
this situation not handled properly will bring about seriuos impacts, the blocked
blood vessels probably would break easily and cause a heart attack or stroke.
High
Cholesterol Causes
There are
several high
cholesterol causes. Some factors can be controlled to prevent from suffering
of high cholesterol
and remaining causes are difficult to
avoid as a result of illnesses. To differentiate the causes of high cholesterol
are simply, they can be categorised into
two causes:
Primary
hypercholesterolemia
High cholesterol often occurs because of some unhealthy living activities. But it is also need to be
considered the factors of the
family history that brought high cholesterol traits. To sum up, primary Hypercholesterolemia is due to:
- Dietary habits
Unhealthy eating habits by consuming foods that contain high cholesterol or prefering high-fat intake.
By consuming foods with high in cholesterol
and fat will
drive the level of cholesterol in
the blood will increase.
- Physical activities
Currently, the available foods in market are often in high contain of calories. If not accompanied by physical
inactivities, it will cause calories
intake will be dumped into fat.
This will lead to increased blood cholesterol levels in the body.
- Obesity
People with overweight or obese have
a tendency to have high cholesterol levels. With obesity will also lead
to the risk of heart diseases.
- Descendants
High
cholesterol levels can rise also due to heredity
causes. When the family has a history of high cholesterol, it will increase the likelihood of the offspring
receive the same conditions. However, the condition Familial Cholesterol is relatively rare. Patients of Familial Cholesterol will generally have high cholesterol levels even since they were childhood.
Secondary
hypercholesterolemia
People with high cholesterol can be caused due to certain illnesses. The
disease causes of high cholesterol are: diabetes
mellitus, hypothyroidism, nephrotic syndrome, renal failure, liver disease,
and Cushing's syndrome. When these
diseases are not treated properly it will cause cholesterol levels to rise (hypercholesterolemia).
In summary, the relationship between diseases and effects on blood fats is shown
in the table below.
