High cholesterol nowadays has become one of the most common health problems among people. It is a condition when the body develops fatty deposits and clogs arteries. These fatty deposits grow with the course of time and make it difficult for enough blood to flow through the arteries. These deposits suddenly break after sometime to cause a clot that eventually leads to stroke or heart attack. Hyperlipidemia or Hypercholesterolemia is another common name for this ailment.
Causes
Extensive medical reports, conducted by top medical research institutes, have found a few points that cause high cholesterol. Some of these points are:
- Sedentary lifestyle: Lack of physical activities in routine life is the most common cause to high cholesterol.
- Obesity: Desk jobs make people obese and increase the risk of high cholesterol. Even young people are badly affected by this modern office culture.
- Binge drinking: Alcoholic drinks in late-night parties prove one of the main culprits for this problem. High quantity of alcohol increases pressure on nerves.
- Chain smoking: Uncontrolled smoking with friends & colleagues add more to this problem.
- Bad eating habits: Wrong eating habits, especially late-night dining, significantly increase the risk of high cholesterol.
This list is not limited to aforementioned points. There are more to count. Studies also have found it is a hereditary disease. Therefore, some people can also inherit this problem from their parents. Remain careful about your family’s medical history and consider appropriate measures to escape high cholesterol.
Symptoms
High cholesterol is an asymptomatic health problem. People will never know about it until they get heart attack or stroke. A simple blood test is the easiest solution to check for high cholesterol.
Doctors recommend undergoing first cholesterol screening between the age of 9-11, followed by continuous screening at the gap of every 5 years until you turn 45 years.
Your doctor can also recommend more frequent screening if you have a family history of high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, etc.
High cholesterol is prone to several complications. Read complete details about these complications to stay safe and consult the doctor as soon as possible for complete care & treatment.
Prevention & Home Remedies
High cholesterol is a preventable condition. People can easily reduce this risk by making some positive changes in their routine life. A few preventive tips are:
- Consume low-salt diet
- Take nuts
- Eat fresh fruits & vegetables
- Avoid junk food
- Consider weight lose
- Quit smoking
- Participate in physical activities
- Make your body sweat at least 3-4 times a week
- Regulate alcoholic drinks
- Stress management & meditation
- Take a 6-7 hour sleep daily
Most of these preventive measures are free to follow. You just need to show your commitment & intent to live healthy.
Treatment
Positive changes in routine life prove extremely beneficial for the treatment of high cholesterol. Make sure that you continuously maintain an active lifestyle, exercise daily or play games. On the basis of your diagnostic report and real-time condition, your doctor can also prescribe specific medicines to reduce high cholesterol. Follow complete medication to live healthy and choose the best diagnostic centre to get diagnosed properly.
Diagnostic Tests For High Cholesterol
to check your cholesterol levels, you need blood test known as a
- lipid panel or lipid profile that shows :
- LDL cholesterol
- Total cholesterol
- Triglycerides — a type of fat in the blood
- HDL cholesterol
you are usually guided to fast for 9 to 12 hours before the test. Although some cholesterol tests don’t require fasting, your doctor will guide you with appropriate instructions.
