Common Names: High Cholesterol
Image Notes: The structure of Cholesterol
Hypercholesterolemia (literally: high blood cholesterol) is the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood. It is not a disease but a metabolic derangement that can be secondary to many diseases and can contribute to many forms of disease, most notably cardiovascular disease. It is closely related to the terms "hyperlipidemia" (elevated levels of lipids) and "hyperlipoproteinemia" (elevated levels of lipoproteins). Familial hypercholesterolemia is a rare genetic disorder that can occur in families, where sufferers cannot properly metabolise cholesterol.
Signs and symptoms
Elevated cholesterol does not lead to specific symptoms unless it has been longstanding. Some types of hypercholesterolemia lead to specific physical findings: xanthoma (thickening of tendons due to accumulation of cholesterol), xanthelasma palpabrum (yellowish patches around the eyelids) and arcus senilis (white discoloration of the peripheral cornea).
Longstanding elevated hypercholesterolemia leads to accelerated atherosclerosis; this can express itself in a number of cardiovascular diseases:
* Angina pectoris, leading to PTCA or CABG
* Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
* Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
* Cerebrovascular accidents/Strokes
* Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Text and images are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Material is used from the Wikipedia article "Hypercholesterolemia".
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