Dyslipidemia

What is Dyslipidemia?

Dyslipidemia develops when there are abnormal levels of lipids in the blood. While the word represents a broad spectrum of disorders, the most frequent types of dyslipidemia include:

• High amounts of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or poor cholesterol.
• Low levels of HDL (good cholesterol)
• Triglyceride levels are elevated.
• High cholesterol is defined as elevated LDL and triglyceride levels.

Lipids, or fats, are the building components of life that supply energy to cells. Lipids contain:

• LDL cholesterol is considered unhealthy because it can build plaques in blood arteries.
• Because it can aid in the removal of LDL from circulation, HDL cholesterol is seen as beneficial.
• Triglycerides form when calories are not immediately burnt and are retained in fat cells.

Normal blood lipid levels vary from person to person. People with high levels of LDL and triglycerides, as well as extremely low HDL levels, are more likely to develop atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis occurs when hard, fatty deposits known as plaques build in blood vessels, impeding blood flow.

Over time, these plaques can accumulate and cause serious circulation issues, such as heart attacks and strokes.

Types and Causes of Dyslipidemia:

Dyslipidemia can be classified into two kinds, depending on the cause:

Primary dyslipidemia.

Genetic causes cause primary dyslipidemia and can be inherited. The most common causes of primary dyslipidemia are:

• Familial mixed hyperlipidemia occurs in adolescents and young adults and can result in excessive cholesterol.
• Familial hyperapobetali proteinemia is caused by a mutation in the apolipoproteins, a kind of LDL lipoprotein.
• Familial hypertriglyceridemia causes elevated triglyceride levels.
• An LDL receptor mutation causes homozygous familial or polygenic hypercholesterolemia.

Secondary dyslipidemia

Secondary dyslipidemia is caused by lifestyle choices or medical disorders that affect blood lipid levels over time.

Secondary dyslipidemia commis only caused by the following:

• Obesity, particularly around the waist, is associated with diabetes.
• hypothyroidism
• Alcohol Use Disorder, commonly known as Alcoholism
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
• Metabolic Syndrome
• Excessive consumption of lipids, particularly saturated and trans fats.
• Cushing’s Syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel illness (IBS), serious infections including HIV, and abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Symptoms of Dyslipidemia:

Unless it is severe, most persons with dyslipidemia are unaware of their condition. A doctor would typically diagnose dydyslipidemiaia as a normal blood test or a test for another condition.

Severe or untreated dyslipidemia can lead to further complications, such as coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Both CAD and PAD can result in major health issues, such as heart attacks and strokes. Common signs of these illnesses are:

• Symptoms include leg pain, particularly during walking or standing, and chest aches.
• Symptoms may include shortness of breath, pain in the neck, jaw, shoulders, and back, as well as indigestion and heartburn.
• Sleep issues and afternoon tiredness.
• dizziness
• Heart palpitations.
• Cold sweats.
• Symptoms may include vomiting, nausea, edema in the legs, ankles, feet, stomach, and neck veins, as well as fainting.

These symptoms may worsen with exertion or stress and improve after a person rests.

Consult a doctor if you are experiencing chest pain and any of the symptoms listed above are present.

Anyone who develops severe chest pain, dizziness, fainting, or difficulty breathing should seek emergency medical attention.

Diagnosis of dyslipidemia:

A simple blood test in our laboratory will determine whether your cholesterol and triglyceride levels are high, low, or healthy. These figures can fluctuate from year to year, thus annual blood testing is recommended. If you take dyslipidemia medication doctor may recommend more frequent blood tests.

Treatment of Dyslipidemia:

A doctor’s primary goal is usually to lower a person’s triglyceride and LDL levels. However, therapeutic options differ based on the underlying cause and severity of dyslipidemia.

Doctors may prescribe one or more lipid-modifying drugs to those who have very high total cholesterol levels of at least 200 milligrams per decilitre of blood.

High cholesterol is typically treated with statins, which inhibit cholesterol formation in the liver.

If statins do not lower LDL and triglyceride levels, a doctor may prescribe additional drugs, including:

• ezetimibe
• niacin
• fibrates
• bile acid sequestrants
• evolocumab and alirocumab
• lomitapide and mipomersen

Healthy blood lipid levels can be promoted by a few dietary and lifestyle modifications.

Among the natural remedies are:

• Lowering the intake of bad fats, like those in fried foods, chocolate, chips, full-fat dairy products, red meats, and refined carbs.
• Regular exercise
• preserving a healthy body weight, including weight loss if required
• lowering or abstaining from alcohol use
• Giving up tobacco usage, including smoking,
• Refraining from prolonged sitting
• growing intake of beneficial polyunsaturated fats, such as those in whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, seafood, and olive oil
• consuming omega-3 oil in liquid or pill form
• Consuming a lot of dietary fiber from whole grains, fruits, and veggies
• consuming a lot of water and sleeping for at least 6 to 8 hours per night

Having dyslipidemia in daily life:

By eating a heart-healthy diet and getting regular exercise, try to maintain a healthy weight. You should stop smoking if you do.
Speak with your physician about ways to maintain ideal levels of cholesterol and triglycerides if you are worried about them.
If high cholesterol runs in your family, take proactive steps to maintain a healthy lifestyle before your cholesterol levels reach dangerously high levels.

Which lifestyle adjustments can be beneficial?

You might be able to control your triglyceride and cholesterol levels by making lifestyle adjustments. The first step is to adjust your diet. Drinking less alcohol, processed sugar, and saturated fat should be among the changes.

You might benefit from increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains. Take a look at these 13 foods that can help decrease cholesterol.

Your cholesterol profile may also improve if you lose weight and exercise regularly.

Risk elements of Dyslipidemia:

The likelihood of acquiring dyslipidemia-associated disorders is known to be increased by several factors. Among these risk factors are:

• Obesity.
• a sedentary lifestyle with little exercise
• Alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and illicit drug use
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Diabetes type 2 and hypothyroidism
• Chronic liver Diseases
• Kidney diseases
• Digestive disorders
• older age
• A grandparent or parent suffering from dyslipidemia
• female sex, since after menopause, women typically have greater LDL levels.

Prevention tips for Dyslipidemia:

• Try to maintain a healthy weight by eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising frequently.
• If you’re a smoker, you should stop.
• If you are concerned about dyslipidemia, speak with your doctor about how you can prevent it.
• If you have a family history of high cholesterol, take proactive steps to live a healthy lifestyle before your cholesterol levels rise to unhealthy levels.

When should I see a doctor?

If you feel that your cholesterol and triglyceride levels are below ideal, you should contact a cardiology professional so that he can make an accurate diagnosis and recommend medication.

When talking with your Cardiologist, attempt to keep a record and full description of the symptoms, their duration, and what you believe caused them. Also, please include any drugs you are taking.

What’s the outlook?

Dyslipidaemia is typically manageable with statins or fibrates and a healthy lifestyle. The idea is to continue taking drugs if they help control your numbers and you are not suffering any side effects. Sometimes Patients accomplish their cholesterol goals and discontinue taking statins.

If you follow your doctor’s advice, you should be able to manage your dyslipidemia and reduce your risk of Cardiovascular disease.

FAQs

References

• Roland, J. (2018, September 29). Dyslipidemia: What you need to know. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/dyslipidemia#outlook
• Huizen, J. (2018, May 17). Dyslipidemia: Everything you need to know. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321844#outlook
• Dyslipidemia: symptoms, risk factors & prevention. (n.d.). BluenetHospitals. https://bluenethospitals.com/health-library/dyslipidemia