Cholesterol Health Channel

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Coronary artery disease

Cholesterol producers

High blood cholesterol and triglycerides

Definition

The medical term for high blood cholesterol and triglycerides is lipid disorder. Such a disorder occurs when you have too many fatty substances in your blood. These substances include cholesterol and triglycerides.

Alternative Names

Lipid disorders; Hyperlipoproteinemia; Hyperlipidemia; Dyslipidemia; Hypercholesterolemia

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

A lipid disorder increases your risk for atherosclerosis, and thus for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure (hypertension), and other problems.

There are many types of cholesterol. The ones talked about most are:

There are several genetic disorders (passed down through families) that lead to abnormal levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. They include:

Abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels may also be caused by:

Lipid disorders are more common in men than in women.

Signs and tests

See Coronary risk profile for information on when to be tested.

Tests to diagnose a lipid disorder may include:

Treatment

Treatment depends on your age, health history, if you smoke, and other risk factors for heart disease, such as:

  • Diabetes
  • Poorly controlled high blood pressure
  • Family history of heart disease

The recommended values for adults are different depending on the above risk factors, but in general:

  • LDL: 70-130 mg/dL (lower numbers are better)
  • HDL: more than 40-60 mg/dL (high numbers are better)
  • Total cholesterol: less than 200 mg/dL (lower numbers are better)
  • Triglycerides: 10-150 mg/dL (lower numbers are better)

There are steps that everyone can take to improve their cholesterol levels, and help preven

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