Custom «High Blood Cholesterol» Essay Paper Sample

Blood cholesterol determines the possibility of getting a heart disease-the higher your blood cholesterol, the higher the risk of having a heart attack or developing a heart disease which is the number one killer of women and children in the united states. Too much cholesterol in the blood clogs the arteries causing the "hardening of the arteries" making them narrow hence slowed flow of blood to the heart. Many people are unaware of their cholesterol level since High blood cholesterol does not cause symptoms. Knowledge of these levels is very important because lowering them reduces the risk for developing a heart disease and a heart attack.

Everyone above age 20 should have a blood test called a "lipoprotein profile" to find Total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and Triglycerides. If you cannot get a lipoprotein profile done, knowledge of cholesterol and HDL cholesterol can give you a general idea about your cholesterol levels. HDL (good) cholesterol protects against heart disease, so for HDL, higher numbers are better. A level less than 40 mg/dL is low and is considered a major risk factor because it increases your risk for developing heart disease. HDL levels of 60 mg/dL or more help to lower your risk for heart disease. Triglycerides can also raise heart disease risk. Levels that are borderline high (150-199 mg/dL) or high (200 mg/dL or more) may need treatment. Things that one can do to affect cholesterol levels include diet, weight and physical activity while the things you can do nothing about to affect cholesterol levels include heredity and age and gender. Some people are at high risk for a heart attack because they already have heart disease while others are at a high risk because they have diabetes.

Cholesterol-lowering treatment is to reduce the LDL level enough to lower your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. The higher your risk, the lower your LDL goal will be. Cholesterol can be lowered by Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC and by Drug Treatment. To reduce risk for heart disease or to keep it low, there is need to control other risk factors such as high blood pressure and smoking.