High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need To Know

If you have questions about cholesterol  -- what it is, why it is important, etc. -- the article below from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute answers your questions.

• Why Is Cholesterol Important?
• How Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease?
• What Do Your Cholesterol Numbers Mean?
• What Affects Cholesterol Levels?
• What Is Your Risk of Developing Heart Disease or Having a Heart Attack?
• Treating High Cholesterol
• Lowering Cholesterol With Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)
• Drug Treatment
• Resources

Why Is Cholesterol Important?

Your blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with your chances of getting heart disease. High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. In fact, the higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States. Each year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about a half million people die from heart disease. 

How Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease?

When there is too much cholesterol (a fat-like substance) in your blood, it builds up in the walls of your arteries. Over time, this buildup causes "hardening of the arteries" so that arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked. The blood carries oxygen to the heart, and if enough blood and oxygen cannot reach your heart, you may suffer chest pain. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart attack. 

High blood cholesterol itself does not cause symptoms, so many people are unaware that their cholesterol level is too high. It is important to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease, even if you already have it. Cholesterol lowering is important for everyone--younger, middle age, and older adults; women and men; and people with or without heart disease. 

What Do Your Cholesterol Numbers Mean?

Everyone age 20 and older should have their cholesterol measured at least once every 5 years. It is best to have a blood test called a "lipoprotein profile" to find out your cholesterol numbers. This blood test is done after a 9- to 12-hour fast and gives information about your:

Read more:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htm

PDF Version: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.pdf

Source:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

NIH Publication No. 05-3290
Originally printed May 2001
Revised June 2005