200 million people in the world, starting from Europe, the USA and ending with Asia and Africa, men - 65%, women - 35%. All these are the results of monitoring research centers regarding the number of people suffering from hypercholesterolemia around the world.
What kind of ailment is this?
In answer to this question, all sources and doctors agree: hypercholesterolemia is a state of blood with very high cholesterol or, in other words, a fat-like substance.
Cholesterol is one of the constituent cell membranes. It is needed for the structure of bile acids, without which normal digestion is impossible, it enters our body along with food, and is produced by our liver. With the help of it, sex and adrenal hormones are formed. In the article we will consider what hypercholesterolemia is and what are the causes of this ailment.
Causes of High Cholesterol
Where does high cholesterol come from ? The reasons can be very different. For example, one of the main ones is the ingestion of this substance into the body with high-calorie food. Due to the high cholesterol content in food, fats settle on the walls of blood vessels, resulting in the formation of plaques that impede the movement of blood, thereby increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. Recently, it is precisely because of malnutrition that cases of diagnosing hypercholesterolemia have become more frequent. In addition, hormonal changes and nervousness can cause an increase in this substance.
Basically, this disease is hereditary. In this case, cholesterol is very high and genetically determined. Hereditary hypercholesterolemia is a disease that is caused by a defect in the gene responsible for encoding the structure and function of the B / E apoprotein receptor. In people with a heterozygous form of familial hypercholesterolemia (1 patient for 350-500 people), only half of the B / E receptors function, so the level is almost doubled (up to 9-12 mmol / l). Hypothyroidism, prolonged use of drugs (steroids, diuretics, etc.) and diabetes mellitus are considered to be particularly risk factors for the onset of the disease.
Symptoms
The greatest insidiousness is that a person does not feel specific symptoms. Without changing the lifestyle, the patient may simply not pay attention to the symptoms. At this time, blood cholesterol levels increase. If a high rate remains for a long time, the onset of hypercholesterolemia symptoms will have the following:
- Xanthomas are nodules of sufficient density over the tendons.
- Xanthelasma - appear in the form of subcutaneous deposits under the eyelids. These are dense nodules of yellow color, which are difficult to distinguish from other skin sites.
- The lipoid arc of the cornea of the eyes is the rim of cholesterol (white or grayish-white).
With atherosclerosis, the cause of which is high cholesterol, the symptoms of organ damage are already pronounced and exacerbated.
Types of analyzes
Hypercholesterolemia is an indicator that is detected exclusively in the laboratory as a result of a special blood test. There are two types of tests - a psychological history and laboratory research. They, in turn, are also divided into several types, which we will consider below.
Psychological history
- Analysis of disease information and complaints. It's about when xanthomas, xanthelasms, a lipoid arch of the cornea were discovered.
- Analysis of the information of life. The issues of illnesses of the patient and his relatives, contacts with pathogens of illnesses are discussed.
- Physical examination. In this case, it is possible to notice xanthomas, xanthelasms. Blood pressure may be elevated.
Laboratory Cholesterol Analysis
- Urine and blood tests. It must be carried out to detect the inflammatory process.
- Biochemical analysis. Thus, the levels of sugar and blood protein, creatinine, uric acid are determined. The result data provide information on possible organ damage.
- A lipidogram is the main diagnostic method. This is an analysis for cholesterol lipids, or as they are called fat-like substances. What does it consist of? There are two types of lipids - which contribute to the development of atherosclerosis (pro-atherogenic), and inhibitory (lipoproteins). With their ratio, the atherogenic coefficient is calculated. If it is above 3, then the risk of atherosclerosis is high.
- Immunological analysis. This study determines the amount of antibodies in the blood. These are special proteins that are produced by the body and have the ability to destroy foreign elements.
- Genetic. It is carried out to detect genes that are carriers of hereditary information that are responsible for the development of transmitted hypercholesterolemia.
Hypercholesterolemia Concomitant Diseases
Symptoms of this disease may not affect a person’s life and remain invisible for a long time. However, steadily rising, cholesterol levels cause serious consequences. The risk of many serious diseases and complications increases. These include: atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities, gallstones, cerebrovascular accident, aneurysm, memory impairment, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke. High cholesterol significantly complicates the treatment of hypertension and diabetes. All of these ailments are becoming the main causes of high mortality worldwide. The medical community is seriously concerned about finding ways to effectively lower blood cholesterol as one of the areas that contribute to reducing mortality.
Effects
Any doctor will say that if there is high cholesterol in the blood, future consequences will lead to a number of complications. Atherosclerosis (a chronic disease) is considered to be the main one - compaction of arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen, which can lead to a violation of blood supply. Depending on how the vessels containing atherosclerotic plaques are located, these forms of the disease are distinguished:
- Aortic atherosclerosis - leads to a prolonged increase in blood pressure and contributes to the formation of heart defects: narrowing and insufficiency (inability to prevent blood circulation) of the aortic valve.
- Atherosclerosis of the blood vessels of the heart (ischemic disease) leads to the development of diseases such as:
- myocardial infarction (death of part of the heart muscle due to the cessation of blood flow to it);
- heart rhythm disturbance;
- heart defects (structural disorders of the heart);
- heart failure (poor blood supply to organs at rest and exertion, which is often accompanied by blood stasis);
- atherosclerosis of the vessels in the brain - impairs mental activity, and when the vessel is completely blocked, it leads to a stroke (death of a part of the brain);
- atherosclerosis of arteries in the kidneys, the result is arterial hypertension;
- atherosclerosis of the intestinal arteries can cause intestinal infarction;
- vascular atherosclerosis in the lower extremities leads to intermittent claudication.
Complications
Atherosclerosis has two types of complications: chronic and acute. As a result of the first, atherosclerotic plaque leads to narrowing of the lumen of the vessel. Since plaques form rather slowly, chronic ischemia appears, in which nutrients and oxygen are not supplied in sufficient quantities. Acute complications are the appearance of blood clots (blood clots), emboli (blood clots that have come off from the place of occurrence, transferred by blood, vascular spasm). Extremely acute closure of the lumen of the vessels occurs, which is accompanied by vascular insufficiency (acute ischemia), which leads to a heart attack of various organs.
Treatment
When the diagnosis of "hypercholesterolemia" is made, treatment should begin first of all with a strict diet. It consists in the complete rejection of the use of foods with a large capacity of fats and cholesterol (oil, sour cream, egg yolks, aspic, liver) and an increase in the amount of carbohydrates, and especially fiber. You can only eat meat boiled, you should include in the diet a lot of fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, fish and seafood. Together with the diet, they are determined with physical exercises, which will make it possible to reduce the negative effect of cholesterol entering the body. You can practice almost any sport (morning jogging, swimming, cycling, skiing). Subscription to the gym, fitness or aerobics will not interfere. If you properly combine diet and physical activity, it is possible to reduce the cholesterol up to 10%, which, in turn, will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 2%.
Also, the doctor may prescribe medication with special drugs called statins. They are specifically designed to reduce blood cholesterol, because they are highly effective and can be used for long-term treatment (side effects are practically absent). The following statins are used in practice: “Rosuvastatin”, “Simvastin”, “Lovastatin”, fluvastatin sodium, “Atorvastatin calcium”. If we give a general description of statins, then we can say that they reduce the risk of stroke, re-infarction. During the use of these drugs, a biochemical blood test is necessary. This is done in order to stop taking them if cholesterol levels normalize. It is necessary to know that hypercholesterolemia is a disease when it is strictly forbidden to self-medicate with statins. Only the attending physician prescribes the course of treatment with these drugs, the timing and dose.
Prevention
Prevention before the appearance of hypercholesterolemia is mainly a set of effects that can be used to change risk factors - control of body weight, a strict diet enriched with fiber and vitamins, stopping alcohol consumption, smoking cigarettes, which reduces the risk of developing coronary disease by several times, active physical activity, optimal glucose levels, pressure. For people who already have high cholesterol, medication prophylaxis is carried out. With any prophylaxis, moderate physical activity and spiritual peace have not hurt anyone.