MD (Medicine), DM (Cardiology), Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Peerless Hospital, Dr Mainak Chatterjee said, “Hyperlipidemia or high cholesterol, means you have too many lipids in your blood and your liver metaboilises cholesterol to help you digest food and makes hormones from it. Since your liver can make as much cholesterol as you need, the cholesterol in your food is extra.”
Chaterjee said, on Sunday, that the normal cholesterol is below 200 mg/dl, values in the range of 200 – 239 mg/dl is borderline high and values more than 240 mg/dl represents high cholesterol level. “DYSLIPIDEMIA” (dysfunctional fat in blood stream) is the disease where inflammatory cholesterol particles gets deposited in the walls of blood vessels causing chronically decreased blood flow to vital organs like brain, heart, kidneys and our limbs or cause any acute event in the form of heart attack, cerebral stroke, acute pain in legs and even sudden cardiac arrest, he added. He said that Lipoproteins are transporters of cholesterol in blood and present them to the liver. Among lipoproteins low density lipoprotein; LDL (reference range: 130 – 159 mg/dl – moderately high and 160 – 180 mg/dl – high) is the bad cholesterol that clogs your arteries. For your HDL, you do not want a number below 40 mg/dl.
The Doctor said that men with diabetes, hypertension, smokers, CKD, stress, Type A sedentary lifestyle, elderly, are the ones who are at increased risk of having ill effects of LDL (reference range: 130 – 159 mg/dl), the Doctor said. He said that Hyperlipidemia is like the tip of an iceberg when clinical signs are concerned and only patients having genetic problems with cholesterol clearance may show skin xanthomas or corneal arcus (the ring of cholesterol in eyes). For diagnosis of this problem your doctor will want your medical history and physical examination, calculate your ASCVB risk score, assess your risk factors and disease status and advise blood test with lipid panel. Other battery of tests in this aspect has – CRP, lipoprotein A APO-B and coronary calcium score. He further said that preventive prescription will include lifestyle changes, dietary modifications, routine exercise, control of contributing diseases and pharmacological components.
Chaterjee said, “To conclude, cholesterol has become a household name with dreaded impressions. Hence, proper management is an important part of modern medicine and dietary plans, so awareness about it is of utmost need.”