Hypercholesterolemia is the presence of cholesterol in blood above levels considered normal. This increase, which is associated with heart problems, depends on diet, sex, lifestyle and endogenous synthesis. Thus, the concentration of cholesterol in the blood involves hereditary and dietary factors, along with other related issues like physical activity. If you haven’t had blood work done in a while, visit your local Family Physician in Andover Kansas to have a complete metabolic panel done.
Causes
The factors affecting the increase in the cholesterol level include:
* Inadequate diets: The abusive intake of animal fats or alcohol causes the body to first consume other types of nutrients that favor cholesterol. This means it will not break down properly and will accumulate in the arteries.
* Hepatic, renal and endocrine diseases and administration of certain substances increase the synthesis of LDL lipoprotein, which transports harmful cholesterol to the body.
* FH: This is a hereditary disease caused by a genetic defect that prevents the degradation of the LDL cholesterol, thus cholesterol levels will steadily increase. In these cases, doctors will see frequent early mortality from myocardial infarction or thickening of the arteries caused by atherosclerosis.
Types of Hypercholesterolemia
The volume of circulating cholesterol depends on intestinal absorption, endogenous synthesis, tissue uptake, the state of protein metabolism and biliary excretion. In short, the cholesterol level of the diet will depend on the absorption capacity and specific receptors. Also, there are two types of cholesterol:
* Primary: Problems derived from cholesterol conveyor systems and genetic factors. In this type of cholesterol dyslipidemia is an issue.
* Secondary: Increased cholesterol is associated with certain liver diseases (hepatitis, cholestasis and cirrhosis), endocrine (diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism and anorexia nervosa) and renal (nephrotic syndrome or chronic renal failure). In addition, there are some substances that can increase levels of LDL (low density cholesterol known as ‘bad cholesterol’), which favors the development of hypercholesterolemia, such as anabolic steroids, beta blockers and some hypertensive substances.