Cholesterol

  • Work-from-home

Zia_Hayderi

TM Star
Mar 30, 2007
2,468
1,028
1,213
Cholesterol
Cholesterol : is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. It's normal to have cholesterol. Cholesterol is an important part of a healthy body because it's used for producing cell membranes and some hormones, and serves other needed bodily functions. But too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and for stroke. Hypercholesterolemia is the medical term for high levels of blood cholesterol.
Cholesterol can’t dissolve in the blood. It has to be transported to and from the cells by carriers called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as “bad” cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is known as “good” cholesterol. These two types of lipids, along with triglycerides and Lp(a) cholesterol, make up your total cholesterol count, which can be determined through a blood test.
LDL (Bad) Cholesterol
When too much LDL (bad) cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, heart attack or stroke can result.

LDL Cholesterol Levels
Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal
100 to 129 mg/dL Near Optimal/ Above Optimal
130 to 159 mg/dL Borderline High
160 to 189 mg/dL High
190 mg/dL and above Very High

HDL (good) Cholesterol
About one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL cholesterol is known as “good” cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack. Low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL) also increase the risk of heart disease. Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body. Some experts believe that HDL removes excess cholesterol from arterial plaque, slowing its buildup.
Triglycerides
Triglyceride is a form of fat made in the body. Elevated triglycerides can be due to overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption and a diet very high in carbohydrates (60 percent of total calories or more). People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol level, including a high LDL (bad) level and a low HDL (good) level. Many people with heart disease and/or diabetes also have high triglyceride levels.
Your triglyceride level will fall into one of these categories:
• Normal: less than 150 mg/dL
• Borderline-High: 150–199 mg/dL
• High: 200–499 mg/dL
• Very High: 500 mg/dL

Lp(a) Cholesterol
Lp(a) is a genetic variation of LDL (bad) cholesterol. A high level of Lp(a) is a significant risk factor for the premature development of fatty deposits in arteries. Lp(a) isn’t fully understood, but it may interact with substances found in artery walls and contribute to the buildup of fatty deposits.


Drug classes used to treat High Cholesterol
• Antilipemic Agents
• Bile Acid Resins
• Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors
• Combination HMG-CoA Reductase and Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors
• Fibric Acid Derivatives
• HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
• Antilipemic Agents
How niacin lowers cholesterol levels is not well understood, but it seems to inhibit production of VLDL, and significantly lowers levels of triglycerides (primary indication) as well as LDLs. Niacin can also raise levels of HDL, the good cholesterol. Fibric acid derivatives affect the breakdown of body fats and reduce the amount of triglyceride manufactured by the liver. A very common side effect called ?flushing? (redness, burning, and tingling of the skin) causes may individuals to stop using this medication.
Drugs in the class
Niacin (Niacor, Nicolar, Nicotinic Acid)
Bile Acid Resins
Bile is the substance that the body uses to help digest fats. It is made in the liver, and stored in the gallbladder. When dietary fats reach the small intestine, the gallbladder squeezes bile into the small intestine to aid in the digestion and transport of these fats. Particles made up of bile and fat are reabsorbed by the small intestine, go into the blood, and travel directly to the liver where the bile is recycled. Bile acid resins absorb bile acid in the intestinal tract rather than let it be reabsorbed and reused by the body. This decrease in bile causes the liver to produce more bile.
Since the liver uses cholesterol to produce bile, bile acid resins reduce cholesterol levels in the blood stream.
Use of bile acid resins is a conservative approach to treating high cholesterol because the drug's action is limited to the intestinal tract. However, because they are known to be safe and have few side-effects, they are used to treat patients with moderately elevated LDL- cholesterol, in people who do not already have heart disease, and when drug therapy is necessary in young adult men and premenopausal women. They are also used in combination with other drugs (such as statins)to treat more severe forms of hypercholesterolemia.
Drugs in the class
Colesevelam (Welchol)
Colestipol (Colestid)
Cholestyramine Powder for Suspension (Prevalite, Questran, Questran Light)
Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors
Drugs in this class work to lower blood cholesterol levels by absorbing excess cholesterol (from foods) in the intestines and thus blocking cholesterol entry into the bloodstream.
Drugs in the class
Ezetimibe (Zetia)
Combination HMG-CoA Reductase and Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors
This class combines the most potent cholesterol reducers (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors?also known as ?statins?) with another cholesterol lowering medication (Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors) in one tablet to give those who take it that extra decrease in cholesterol they may not be able to achieve with one of the medications alone.
HMG-CoA reductase is a chemical made in our bodies that helps the liver produce cholesterol. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors get in the way of that process, reducing the amount and frequency of cholesterol being produced.
Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors block cholesterol found in food from being absorbed into the blood stream from the intestines.
The combination works by blocking cholesterol production by the body and well as blocking absorption of cholesterol from the food we eat.
Drugs in the class
Ezetimibe and Simvastatin (Vytorin)
Fibric Acid Derivatives
These agents reduce the level of triglycerides and some types of cholesterol by reducing the production of these items by the liver.
Drugs in the class
Clofibrate (No Longer Available) (Atromid-S (No Longer Available))
Fenofibrate (Micronized) Capsules (Antara, Lofibra)
Gemfibrozil (Lopid)
Fenofibrate Tablets (Tricor, Triglide)
HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
HMG-CoA Reductase is a chemical made in our bodies that helps the liver produce cholesterol. HMG CoA reductase inhibitors get in the way of that process, reducing the amount and frequency of cholesterol being produced. These medications cause the greatest reduction in cholesterol at the lowest doses and are used in many individuals at high risk of heart disease, or to help prevent those that have had a heart attack or stroke from having another one.
Drugs in the class
Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
Lovastatin (Mevacor)
Fluvastatin Extended-Release (Lescol XL)
Fluvastatin (Lescol)
Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
Simvastatin (Zocor)
Lovastatin Extended Release (Altocor, Altoprev)
Cerivastatin - Withdrawn From The Market (Baycol - Withdrawn From The Market)
Pravastatin (Pravachol)
 
Top