Hyperlipidemia Specialist

What does it mean to have hyperlipidemia?

Hyperlipidemia is often defined as having high cholesterol. But it’s also a general condition that refers to high levels of dangerous fats (lipid) in your blood, and that includes triglycerides.

Cholesterol

Your body produces cholesterol, and you also get it through your diet. During digestion, your body wraps cholesterol in protein, turning it into one of several types of lipoproteins.

A high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is called good cholesterol because it removes extra cholesterol from your bloodstream. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are described as bad cholesterol because they stay in your bloodstream.

The longer LDLs stay in your bloodstream, the more likely they are to release cholesterol. Then the cholesterol sticks to artery walls and turns into plaque.

Triglycerides

When you consume too many calories, your body turns them into triglycerides. Some triglycerides are shuttled into fat cells for storage; others circulate in your bloodstream because they’re a source of energy. Triglycerides also accumulate along with cholesterol in arterial plaque.

How does hyperlipidemia affect my health?

High triglycerides can cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and inflammation in your pancreas (pancreatitis). Fatty plaque keeps enlarging, eventually restricting blood flow. This condition, called atherosclerosis, leads to problems such as:

• Coronary artery disease
• Peripheral artery disease
• Carotid artery disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Aneurysms

When atherosclerosis goes untreated, you’re at risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

How is hyperlipidemia treated?

After you have a physical exam and blood tests to verify your levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, Cardiac Care Consultants develops a customized treatment plan to bring your blood levels back to a normal range.

Comprehensive hyperlipidemia treatment includes:

Lifestyle management

There’s no getting around the importance of following a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and stopping smoking. All these steps lower your blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

Medications

Your provider may prescribe medications to lower your blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, or manage your blood sugar.

Catheterization

When fatty plaque causes a significant blockage in the artery, your cardiologist at Cardiac Care Consultants performs a minimally invasive catheterization procedure to eliminate the blockage. You may need angioplasty and stenting or atherectomy. 

Most people with hyperlipidemia don’t have symptoms until they have a heart attack or stroke. To learn if you need a risk assessment or screening for hyperlipidemia, call Cardiac Care Consultants, or book an appointment online today.