Hyperlipidemia Meaning & Hyperlipidemia Medical Definition

What is Hyperlipidemia?

Hyperlipidemia is a group of diseases that cause the body to have too much fat. These diseases can be inherited or picked up from the environment. Hyperlipidemia is very common, especially in the western part of the world, but it can happen anywhere. Today we will talk about hyperlipidemia meaning the medical definition of hyperlipidemia.

We define Hyperlipidemia in a more objective way as having levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol, triglycerides, or lipoproteins that are higher than the 90th percentile for the general population or HDL levels that are lower than the 10th percentile for the general population. Cholesterol, lipoproteins, chylomicrons, VLDL, LDL, apolipoproteins, and HDL are all lipids.

Blocked veins or clogged arteries.

Studies have repeatedly shown that high levels of LDL cholesterol make a person more likely to get atherosclerotic plaques and vascular disease. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, on the other hand, helps control cholesterol levels so that there aren't any imbalances that could lead to atherosclerotic vascular disease. The LDL cholesterol goal for each patient depends on their overall risk of heart disease, and their medical treatment should be based on their specific needs.

"Primary prevention" means taking care of risk factors, like hyperlipidemia, to lower the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Lowering LDL cholesterol is important because epidemiologic data shows a positive, continuous correlation between LDL cholesterol levels, cardiovascular events, and patient mortality.

Hyperlipidemia Medical Definition

The term "bad cholesterol" refers to low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which can obstruct your arteries like a big truck that broke down and blocked a road. (High borderline range: 130 to 159 mg/dL. High (range: 160 to 189 mg/dL.) Consider the lipoprotein vehicles in which cholesterol, a type of fat, travels through your blood. Lipids are a type of fat, and they can include triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids.

Because it contains triglycerides that contribute to arterial plaque, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) is also known as bad cholesterol.

This is a different kind of traffic obstruction. Because it transports cholesterol to your liver, which eliminates it, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is referred to as good cholesterol. This is comparable to the tow truck that clears the blocked-up cars from the lanes of traffic so that traffic can flow. In this instance, it facilitates your blood's passage through your blood vessels.

You shouldn't have an HDL level of less than 40 mg/dL if you are a man and not less than 50mg/dl if you are a woman. Better to have HDL over 60 mg/dl for both genders! The LDL cholesterol goal for each patient depends on their overall risk of heart disease, and their medical treatment should be based on their specific needs. "Primary prevention" means taking care of risk factors, like high cholesterol, to lower the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease.

The idea that LDL cholesterol should be lowered comes from large epidemiological data showing a positive, steady link between LDL cholesterol levels, cardiovascular events, and patient deaths.

Is Hyperlipidemia the Same As High Cholesterol?

Yes! Hyperlipidemia, also known as dyslipidemia or high cholesterol, is a condition with too many lipids (fats) in your blood. Your liver creates cholesterol to help you digest food and make hormones, but when there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it can build up on the walls of your arteries and form plaque.

This plaque can cause your arteries to narrow and harden, which can lead to heart disease, stroke, and other serious health problems. Although hyperlipidemia can be due to genetics and obesity, it can also be from lifestyle choices like an unhealthy diet or lack of exercise.

Making healthy choices can help to prevent or control hyperlipidemia. eating foods that are low in saturated and trans fats, exercising regularly, and not smoking are all good ways to keep your cholesterol levels in check. If you have already been diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, your doctor may recommend medication to help lower your cholesterol levels.

What is the Meaning of Hyperlipidemia?

An unhealthy level of cholesterol (200 mg/dL to 239 mg/dL is considered borderline high, and 240 mg/dL is considered high) is detrimental to your health because it can develop blockages in the arterial highways that blood uses to circulate throughout your body. This causes damage to your organs, particularly those that do not receive an adequate blood supply from your arteries.

Hyperlipidemia is a medical condition characterized by high levels of lipids in the blood. High levels of any of these substances can lead to serious health problems. One of the most common problems associated with hyperlipidemia is atherosclerosis, the hardening, and narrowing of the arteries. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other problems.

In addition, hyperlipidemia is also a risk factor for pancreatitis, gallstones, and obesity. Because of these dangers, it is crucial to be aware of the signs and symptoms of hyperlipidemia and to see a doctor if you think you may have this condition. Treatment typically involves lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, and medication. With proper treatment, hyperlipidemia can be managed successfully.

What Is the Best Treatment for Hyperlipidemia?

Diet, exercise, and losing weight are still the main ways to treat hyperlipidemia. Studies have shown that olive oil and nuts are helpful. Statins are still the drug of choice. Besides, ezetimibe, bile acid sequestrants, fibrates, and fish oil can also be alternative treatments. Statins can cause myopathies and, as has been shown over the past few years, raise the risk of diabetes mellitus.

How does having high cholesterol make you feel?

You feel okay at first when your cholesterol is high. It doesn't cause symptoms for you. But over time, plaque formation, which is primarily lipids and cholesterol, can restrict or even stop blood flow to your heart or brain. Shortness of breath, jaw pain, and chest pain with effort are some of the signs of coronary artery disease.

An entire artery is blocked when a plaque of cholesterol bursts and a clot covers it. The signs of a heart attack include excruciating chest pain, flushing, nausea, and trouble breathing. A medical emergency has occurred.

Are there any symptoms of elevated cholesterol?

The majority of people with high cholesterol don't experience any symptoms. People with very high cholesterol levels due to a genetic difficulty with cholesterol clearance may develop xanthomas (fatty, waxy plaques on their skin) or corneal arcus (cholesterol rings around the eye's iris). A diabetes specialist might check your cholesterol level because of conditions like obesity that have a link to high cholesterol.

What Foods to Avoid When You Have A High Cholesterol?

You might not realize it, but cholesterol is found in many foods we eat daily. While some cholesterol is essential for our bodies to function properly, too much can lead to health problems like heart disease. Saturated fat is one of the main culprits of high cholesterol levels.

This fat is in animal products such as meat and dairy and processed foods like cookies and cake. If you’re worried about your cholesterol levels, limiting your intake of saturated fat is essential. Instead, focus on eating more healthy unsaturated fats, which can help to reduce cholesterol levels. Good sources of unsaturated fats include avocados, nuts, and olive oil. So next time you’re at the grocery store, stock up on these healthy foods!

Is Cholesterol Control Important or How Important Is It for Diabetics?

The medical definition of hyperlipidemia is somewhat different from that of patients who do not have diabetes. For example, goal LDL blood sugar is less than 100 mg/dL for diabetics however normal can be up to 130 mg/dL or up to 160 mg/dL for non-diabetic individuals.

If a diabetic individual also has heart disease, the definition of hyperlipidemia becomes LDL of 70 mg/dL or above. Blood sugar control issues might exacerbate cholesterol levels. Diabetic dyslipidemia occurs when you have diabetes and have low amounts of good cholesterol but high levels of bad cholesterol and high triglycerides. Diabetic dyslipidemia affects up to 70% of persons with type 2 diabetes.

Sometimes Even if blood sugar control is satisfactory, patients with diabetes have more triglycerides, lower HDL, and sometimes higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) due to underlying insulin resistance. So why does that matter? 

Diabetes and Heart Disease

The National Cholesterol Education Program report from the US and European guidelines say that type 2 diabetes is the same as CHD, putting it in the highest risk category. This classification was in part on the fact that people with type 2 diabetes who had never had an MI before (mean age: 58) had the same risk of MI and coronary death as people without diabetes who had already had an MI with an average age 56.

Other studies have come to the same conclusions. Findings from the Framingham Heart Study and the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial show how important is the link between diabetes and CHD.

In the Framingham Heart Study, having diabetes tripled the risk of heart disease in women and men. Even after considering age, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, and left ventricular hypertrophy, diabetes remained a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

What Do Diabetics Typically Die From?

Types of cholesterol comparison with HDL and LDL lipoprotein. Labeled educational normal and narrowed artery cross-section explanation. Physiological high-fat diet problem example.

Over a 12-year period, 9.7 percent of the 5163 men who said they took medications for diabetes (mostly type 2) died from cardiovascular disease. In comparison, only 2.6 percent of the 342,815 men who didn't take diabetes medications died from cardiovascular disease.

This difference was the same no matter how old you were, your race, your cholesterol level, your systolic blood pressure, or if you smoked. But when we add each of these risk factors, the risk of heart disease increases more quickly in diabetic men than in nondiabetic men. The Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration group did a meta-analysis of 102 studies with 530,083 patients who had never had a heart attack, angina, or stroke before the first study visit.

After considering other risk factors, the overall risk of CHD for people with diabetes was twice that of those without diabetes. The risk of cardiac death and non-fatal MI was also higher for people with diabetes.

When you have type 2 diabetes, your risk of CVD depends on how many risk factors you have and how well you treat them. Even though people with diabetes have a higher risk of CVD than those without diabetes, the absolute risk has decreased because people are taking preventive steps recommended by guidelines.

Do Type 1 Diabetics Also Get Heart Disease?

Even though most of the people in the above studies had type 2 diabetes, the risk of cardiovascular disease in 292 people with type 1 diabetes was even higher than in non-diabetics of the same age. After age 30, the death rate from CHD went up quickly, especially for people with kidney disease.

In the Framingham Heart Study, the cumulative death rate from CHD was 35% by age 55, only 8% for men and 4% for women who did not have diabetes. MI that didn't lead to death and angina was similar links. The age at which a person goes from low risk to high risk for cardiovascular disease is another way to show how dangerous a risk diabetes mellitus poses.

They looked at this link using a large health claims database and a group of Canadians from the past. Men and women with type 2 diabetes moved into a high-risk category (10-year event rate risk of more than 20%) at a younger age than non-diabetic patients (mean difference 15 years). Using a broad definition of cardiovascular disease, the high-risk age for men with diabetes was 41 and for women, it was 48. 

Summary

To summarize, cholesterol is fat in the bloodstream. When you have diabetes, your body may have difficulty processing cholesterol. This can cause cholesterol to build up in the arteries, which can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. Therefore, paying attention to cholesterol levels when you have diabetes is important.

There are many ways to manage your cholesterol, such as making lifestyle changes or taking medication or an herbal supplement. I hope now you are more familiar with the medical definition of hyperlipidemia and hyperlipidemia meaning overall. Please share this blog with friends and family.

About the author

 Who is Dr. Ergin? Dr. Ahmet Ergin is an endocrinologist interested in and passionate about diabetes care. Dr. Ergin earned his medical degree with honors at Marmara University School of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey.

Then, he completed his internal medicine residency and endocrinology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a board-certified Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism physician. He is also a certified diabetes education specialist.

Disclaimer: Any information on diseases and treatments on this website is for general guidance only and must never be a substitute for the advice your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional provides. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care professional with questions you may have regarding your medical condition.