Having a poor diet and not getting enough physical activity in your day to day life can cause you very serious health problems. Hypercholesterolemia, which is high cholesterol, and hyperlipidemia, which is high fat in the blood, can both lead to heart attack and strokes. It is important to understand the risks and causes of both of these conditions.
Hypercholesterolemia Overview
1. Basics
Hypercholesterolemia is when there is an abnormally high amount of cholesterol present in the blood. This problem can be caused by a multitude of different problems including other medical conditions. High cholesterol can also put you at risk for other health problems.
2. Symptoms
Hypercholesterolemia typically causes no symptoms until significant damage has been done to the arteries. In some cases of people that have inherited the disorder cholesterol filled nodules, also called xanthomas, can occur on various parts of the body including the eyelids.
3. Risk
There are some people that are more at risk of developing high cholesterol than others. This includes being older than 50, experiencing premature menopause, family history of the disease, high blood pressure, smoking tobacco, and people with a poor diet.
4. Treatments
Diet is the most effective treatment used to lower cholesterol levels. There is no one diet that has been dictated has the best but some suggestions are to get the majority of your calories from fruits and vegetables and to limit processed foods. Medications are also widely used if there is a high risk of heart attack. Some of the most popular types of medications used inhibitors of cholesterol absorption such as Zetia, Mevacor, or Colestid.
5. Outcomes
If high cholesterol levels go untreated for a long period of time then the arteries that carry blood to the brain and heart can become severely blocked by cholesterol build up. This results in a heart attack of a stroke, both of which can be fatal.
Hyperlipidemia
1. Basics
Hyperlipidemia is when you have a very high number of lipids in the blood. Lipids are fats help to perform very important functions in the body, but if present in an excessive amounts negative health effects occur.
2. Symptom
Hyperlipidemia causes no symptoms on it’s own.
3. Causes
The majority of hyperlipidemia is caused by lifestyle and diet habits and completely treatable medical conditions. This condition can also be passed down an inherited from family members. Some diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, and kidney disease can also cause hyperlipidemia.
4. Treatment
The treatment for hyperlipidemia depends on your lipid levels and your risk for heart disease. Life style changes such as diet change and quitting smoking may be all that is necessary to lower the levels of lipids in your blood. If life style changes are not sufficient Statin drugs and other forms of medications may be prescribed.
Differences Between Hypercholesterolemia one and Hyperlipidemia
1. What They Are
Hypercholesterolemia is a medical condition where there is too much bad cholesterol present in the body. Hyperlipidemia is caused by an excess of lipids, or fats, that are present in the blood stream.
2. Treatment
These two issues are not that different from each other, their risk and treatments are relatively the same. For both of these disease a simple lifestyle change is usually all that is necessary to lower levels of either lipids or cholesterol in your body. Doing this significantly cuts down your risk of suffering a heart attack or a stroke.