Health Encyclopedia

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:

Total cholesterol - all the cholesterols combined
HDL cholesterol - often called "good" cholesterol
LDL cholesterol - often called "bad" cholesterol

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:

Being overweight or obese. See: Metabolic syndrome
Certain medications, including birth control pills, estrogen, corticosteroids, certain diuretics, beta blockers, and certain antidepressants
Diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, and kidney disease
Excessive alcohol use
Fatty diets that are high in saturated fats (found mainly in red meat, egg yolks, and high-fat dairy products) and trans fatty acids (found in commercial processed food products)
Lack of exercise
Smoking (which reducess HDL "good" cholesterol)

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 prevent heart disease and heart attack. Here are the most important ones:

Eat a heart-healthy diet with plenty of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. Avoid saturated fats (found mostly in animal products) and trans-fatty acids (found in fast foods and commercially baked products). Instead, choose unsaturated fats
Exercise regularly to help raise your HDL ("good" cholesterol)
Get periodic health checkups and cholesterol screenings
Lose weight if you are overweight
Quit smoking

If lifestyle changes do not change your cholesterol levels, your doctor may recommend medication. There are several types of drugs available to help lower blood cholesterol levels, and they work in different ways. Some are better at lowering LDL cholesterol, some are good at lowering triglycerides, while others help raise HDL cholesterol.

The most commonly used and most effective drugs for treating high LDL cholesterol are called statins. You doctor will choose one of these: lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), simvastatin (Zocor), fluvastatin (Lescol), torvastatin (Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor).

Other drugs that may be used include bile acid sequestering resins, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, fibrates, and nicotinic acid (niacin).

Expectations (prognosis)

If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, you will probably need to continue lifestyle changes and drug treatment throughout your life. Periodic monitoring of your cholesterol blood levels is necessary. Reducing high cholesterol levels will slow the progression of atherosclerosis.

Complications

Possible complications of high cholesterol include:

Atherosclerosis
Coronary artery disease
Stroke
Heart attack or death

Possible complications of high triglycerides include:

Pancreatitis

Calling your health care provider

If you have high cholesterol or other risk factors for heart disease, make appointments as recommended by your doctor.

Prevention

Cholesterol and triglyceride screening is important to identify and treat abnormal levels. Men ages 20-35 and women ages 20-45 should have their cholesterol levels checked.

To help prevent high cholesterol:

Eat a well-balanced, low-fat diet
Keep a healthy body weight

References

Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults. Executive summary of the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) expert panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA. 2001;285:2486-2497. Updated 2004. Accessed May 1, 2009.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Lipid Disorders in Adults. Accessed May 1, 2009.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Lipid Disorders in Children. US Preventive Services;Task Force recommendation statement. Pediatrics. 2007;120(1):e215-9.

Daniels SR, Greer FR; Committee on Nutrition. Lipid screening and cardiovascular health in childhood. Pediatrics. 2008;122(1):198-208.

Gaziano M, Manson JE, Ridker PM. Primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa; Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 45.

Review Date:5/2/2009
Reviewed By:David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) and this website do not claim the information on, or referred to by, this site is error free. This site may include links to websites of other government agencies or private groups. Our Agency and this website do not control such sites and are not responsible for their content. Reference to or links to any other group, product, service, or information does not mean our Agency or this website approves of that group, product, service, or information.

Additionally, while health information provided through this website may be a valuable resource for the public, it is not designed to offer medical advice. Talk with your doctor about medical care questions you may have.