Cholesterol Factsheet

What is hypercholesterolaemia?

Hypercholesterolaemia is having too much cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol is one of a group of substances known as lipids, which are manufactured in the human liver and also derived from animal fat. Lipids may be deposited in artery walls causing them to become narrow; this process is known as arterosclerosis.

What are lipids?

The group comprises high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) fractions as well as triglycerides. The place of triglycerides is not fully understood but LDL is known to cause arterosclerosis whereas HDL has a protective effect.

What are normal lipid levels?

Lipids are measured in the blood as units known as millimoles per litre (mmol/L.). Ideally, the total cholesterol level in men should be less than 5.2 mmol/L and the LDL level should be less the 4.0mmol/L in patients with risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, previous heart attacks and a positive family history of heart attacks.

However, these levels are applied less strictly to women and higher levels are accepted in men in the absence of cardiovascular risk factors, for example hypertension, smoking, diabetes, obesity etc.

What treatment is available?

Weight loss, first and foremost, where obesity is present, together with reduction on cholesterol-bearing foods: dairy produce, fatty meat, shellfish, eggs etc.

If dietary changes do not achieve satisfactory cholesterol control, then medication, usually of the "statin" group may be taken on a long-term basis.

Treatment of Hypercholesterolaemia reduces the incidence of heart attacks by 35%

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