Most people find it to be a lot to take in when someone says they have abnormal cholesterol. Some may have heard their doctor use a medical term like “dyslipidemia” and find it difficult to understand what this will mean for their future. This term basically means that your blood has abnormally high levels of lipids. Lipids are solid fats in blood which include cholesterol and triglycerides.
Lipid levels that are high or low can create a lot of problems in the body. The body needs a proper balance of lipids to essentially function. The liver produces cholesterol that is necessary for the digestion of food and the production of hormones in the body. When the balance of fats is either too low or too high can create a lot of problems for the body. This is mostly a combination of daily habits and genetics.
Lipid levels in your blood are an important factor in knowing how to maintain your heart health. Unregulated lipids that are unbalanced can cause damage to blood vessels and create a high risk for health problems including strokes and heart attacks. This is a complex issue and it is our goal with this guide to help you understand the underlying problems related to dyslipidemia. We will also help you to identify how to understand this healthcare syndrome and how to relate it to keeping your dyslipidemia under the best control possible.
What are the causes of dyslipidemia?
Dyslipidemia can be caused by many things. It can be classified in a few causes. Dyslipidemia is classified as primary and secondary dyslipidemia. Primary dyslipidemia is hereditary and secondary dyslipidemia is caused by factors such as diet, habits, and other health problems.
Genetic factors
Some individuals have a genetic predisposition that alters their body’s ability to metabolize fats and cholesterol. Familial hypercholesterolemia is a condition affecting low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors, which results in congenital, extremely elevated cholesterol levels. Other genetic conditions, such as familial hypertriglyceridemia, lead to excessive production and diminished clearance of triglycerides from the bloodstream.
Lifestyle factors
There are factors within your life which have a strong impact on your body’s lipids. A diet high in saturated and trans fats and refined carbohydrates usually results in a difficult to manage lipidemic balance. Inactivity and a sedentary routine make it even more difficult to manage body store fats. Additionally, smoking and heavy drinking lead to the direct destruction of blood vessels and inhibits the ability of the liver to handle cholesterol appropriately.
Underlying medical conditions
There are a number of conditions that can cause the body to have secondary dyslipidemia. Type 2 diabetes can be associated with dyslipidemia changes which lead to low good cholesterol and high triglycerides. Finally, hypothyroidism can cause dyslipidemia by damaging cholesterol clearance. Both blood and liver diseases cause dyslipidemia by impairing the balance of homeostasis in lipids.
Medications
Certain medications that are prescribed for specific diseases have been shown to cause poor lipidemic balance. Steroids, beta blockers, and oral contraceptives as well as viruses also lead to increased lipids and cholesterol. One should consider the dangers of the medications prescribed in regards to these side effects.
Types of dyslipidemia
Lipids are classified in a number of different sub-types and travel in sub-classified vessels called lipoproteins. Dyslipidemia can principally involve one of these sub-classifications of lipids.
High LDL cholesterol
“Bad” cholesterol is referred to as low-density lipoproteins (LDL). When you accumulate excess amounts of LDL cholesterol in your blood, this cholesterol spreads to the inner linings of your blood vessels and over time, contributes to the thickening of your arteries, called atherosclerosis.
Low HDL cholesterol
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) is often called the “good” cholesterol. HDL cholesterol helps you clear out LDL cholesterol from your blood. When you have low HDL cholesterol, your body does not remove low-density lipoprotein cholesterol effectively.
High triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of lipid. If you take in excess calories, your body shifts and stores it as triglycerides. If your levels of triglycerides are too high, this thickens your blood and limits oxygen transport to your organs, leading to damage.
Mixed dyslipidemia
Having dyslipidemia with mixed abnormalities is particularly common. Specifically, mixed dyslipidemia describes the combination of high LDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol, all of which increase cardiovascular events.
Symptoms and complications
Dyslipidemia is notoriously a silent condition. For this reason, patients fail to notice superficial symptoms, like pruritus, until the disease has caused significant internal damage.
Cardiovascular disease
The complications of dyslipidemia are severe, however, there is a primary risk condition that is the main concern. The condition is called atherosclerosis which describes the process in which the arteries become thick and stiff due to plaque. The reduced blood flow caused by the plaque progresses and leads to health issues. This includes an array of different types of pain (such as chest pain) and organ damage (called Peripheral artery disease) and, ultimately, can lead to strokes and heart attacks.
Pancreatitis
High triglyceride levels can lead to acute pancreatitis, a serious and painful inflammation of the pancreas that most often needs emergency treatment.
Visible Physical Signs
Especially in severe or genetic cases, dyslipidemia can manifest as visible physical signs. Some people may experience xanthomas, which are yellowish deposits of fat that have the potential to appear in a person’s eyelids, palms, or tendons. Alternatively, arcus senilis can also indicate dyslipidemia, which is an opaque ring of gray or white that encircles the cornea of the eye, deposited cholesterol.
How Dyslipidemia is Diagnosed
Since high cholesterol and the related conditions that define dyslipidemia are largely asymptomatic, most people have no idea they are affected until a doctor orders a blood test.
The Lipid Panel
Diagnosing dyslipidemia is often done with a test called the lipid panel or fasting lipoprotein profile. This test requires you to fast for between 9 and 12 hours before it is done. It will test for total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides.
Interpreting the test
Knowing how to interpret your lipid panel helps you understand how you skews. The following metrics are the standard targets that are provided:
- Total cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL.
- LDL cholesterol: Less than 100 mg/dL.
- HDL cholesterol: 60 mg/dL or higher is ideal, while levels less than 40 mg/dL for men and less than 50 mg/dL for women are considered low.
- Triglycerides: Less than 150 mg/dL is standard, and for levels greater than 500 mg/dL are extremely high and should be treated immediately.
Effective treatment options
Dyslipidemia treatment focuses on managing both lifestyle and medication changes, based on your risk for cardiovascular diseases. Your doctor will offer both options.
Lifestyle modifications
Dietary habits target reducing saturated fats and increasing the intake of soluble fiber and plant sterols. Unsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil and certain kinds of fish, also help. Moderate aerobic exercise is important to help achieve the target of 150 minutes per week. It is helpful to reduce your body weight by 5% to 10% to positively improve your health.
Pharmacological interventions
If necessary lifestyle changes are not helpful, medication to improve lipid levels will be prescribed by your doctor. The first line treatment is usually statins, which block a nutrient the liver needs to manufacture cholesterol. Your doctor may order the use of a statin and cholesterol absorption inhibitor, called ezetimibe, to achieve the target. For high and very high cholesterol patients, injectable medications, called PCSK9 inhibitors, can help the liver remove high levels of LDL cholesterol from the blood. Fibrates and prescription omega-3 fatty acids, like icosapent ethyl, are also good options to reduce these very high triglyceride levels.
Prevention strategies for healthy blood lipids
It is best to develop cardiovascular health promoting habits to improve and maintain blood lipid levels high in your blood.
Using a diet like the Mediterranean or DASH diet lays a great foundation. Stay active with sports or activities you actually enjoy; otherwise, you’re less likely to consistently work out. If you smoke, quit, and stay away from any and all tobacco products. Quitting smoking also shows immediate improvements in your HDL cholesterol and the health of your blood vessels. Lastly, keep track of your age as you maintain regular check-ups with your doctor to examine your blood pressure, blood sugar, and your lipids.
Living with dyslipidemia
Managing cholesterol levels is a lifelong devotion. Healthy results are only obtainable as long as you continue with your treatment.
Never skip or miss a dose of your medications. It is also important to follow the orders to take them no matter how you are feeling because skipping allows plaque to build in your arteries again. Your healthcare team is there to support you, and in fact, you should ask them for the resources on how to support you, such as a cardiac rehabilitation program or a registered dietitian.
Control your health right now
Dyslipidemia is a common blood analysis report and is a dangerous health condition. It is easily treatable.
To halt the risks of heart conditions from plaque building up, report your daily health habits, and follow your doctor’s orders. Consult your doctor and ask for a heart health report lipids analysis.
