Hyperlipidemia - Causes and Signs of Hyperlipidemia

The classification depends on the concentration of lipoproteins and lipids in the blood plasma. There are the following types:

• I - an increased number of triglycerides is noted.
• Ia - an increased number of cholesterol.
• IIb - a high concentration of triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol (CH).
• III - chylomicron fragments accumulate, an excess of the previous agents appears in the serum.
• IV - the content of TG increases, and CH is normal.
• V - the concentration of the previous agents increases.

There are also: hypo-beta-lipoproteinemia and hypo-alpha-lipoproteinemia. There is mixed hyperlipidemia, as a result of which patients from the same family have one of three types of this disease.

Causes

The occurrence of the disease depends on many factors. So, the reasons are:

• poor nutrition;
• liver cirrhosis;
• poorly controlled diabetes;
• decreased thyroid function;
• increased pituitary function;
• renal failure;
• porphyria;
• heredity;
• acute alcohol intoxication;
• taking certain medications - estrogens, oral contraceptives, corticosteroids (hormonal intermediates), thiazide diuretics (in rare cases).

Increased cholesterol can occur due to the nature of nutrition, body weight, age and gender, age of a person. In women, before menopause, total cholesterol becomes lower than in men at the same age. After menopause, women tend to have an increase in LDL.

Symptoms

Hyperlipidemia has no symptoms. The diagnosis can be made by conducting a biochemical blood test. As the disease progresses, atherosclerosis occurs, which has a number of characteristic signs that depend on the location of the plaques. If triglycerides are elevated, the symptoms manifest themselves as hepatosplenomegaly, pancreatitis.

Diagnostics

The doctor may recommend that the patient reconsider his lifestyle or change the course of treatment. In addition, the hematologist determines whether the patient has atherosclerosis, there is a possibility of developing this pathology. The results of biochemical tests reveal fractions that are components of lipids. These include:

• low-density lipoproteins - LDL ("bad" cholesterol, the level of which should be above 130 mg / dL)
• high-density - HDL ("good", in men - not lower than 40 mg / dL, and in women - not lower than 50),
• total cholesterol (more than 200);
• triglycerides (higher than 200 mg / dL).

Treatment

Depending on the type of disease, the hematologist prescribes a diet with an increased amount of physical activity or a specific combination of drugs. During therapy, a diet with a reduced amount of fat is almost always used. To reduce pathological triggers, the doctor prescribes courses of therapeutic exercise aimed at reducing the patient's body weight, therapeutic cleansing procedures.

For the patient's well-being, it is necessary to give up bad habits.

The pathology can be treated with statins, fibrates and choleretic agents, vitamin B5 is indicated.

Prevention

The development of pathology can be avoided by influencing fat. Thus, it is recommended: to change eating behavior and lifestyle, use medicinal methods - drugs of the statin group, anion exchange resins, fibrates, nicotinic acid, low molecular weight heparins, fish oil preparations. Extracorporeal blood purification can also be used. For the purpose of prevention, from the age of 20, it is necessary to start conducting a lipidogram with a frequency of once every 5 years. Only a qualified specialist can choose the necessary method of treatment and prevention at a specific stage.