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How To Beat Hereditary High Cholesterol

How Is Fh Treated

Familial High Cholesterol? How the New super – Meds Work

There isnt a cure for FH but it can be treated. Treatment can reduce your risk of getting heart disease, having a heart attack or stroke, or needing other treatment. If you or your child is diagnosed with FH, speak with your doctor about the best treatment plan.

People with high cholesterol often find they can bring their levels of cholesterol down by changing their diet. Unfortunately, FH cant be cured through diet alone but you should still make sure you:

Youll be prescribed statins which will help regulate your levels of LDL cholesterol. If you cant take statins, then other medications, like ezetimibe, may be prescribed to you.

How Is High Cholesterol Diagnosed

A blood test called a lipid panel will measure the levels of total cholesterol, bad LDL cholesterol, good HDL cholesterol, and often triglycerides in your blood. These are the levels considered healthy for adults:

Total cholesterol: below 200 milligrams per deciliter

LDL cholesterol: below 100 mg/dL

HDL cholesterol: above 40 mg/dL and above 50 mg/dL

Triglycerides: below 150 mg/dL

While all your levels are important, your doctor will likely focus on your LDL cholesterol levels. If its elevated, your doctor will talk to you about medication and lifestyle changes.

Getting a lipid panel test is similar to any blood work: You typically fast overnight, Dr. Adedinsewo says, and come into the doctors office to have blood drawn from an arm artery. The only complications may be pain from the prick of the needle, feeling lightheaded immediately after , and perhaps some minor anxiety about the test, Dr. Adedinsewo says. Before the test, your doctor may also ask about your family history of heart conditions and your lifestyle, such as your diet and how active you are.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults have their cholesterol checked every four to six years, or more often if you have heart disease, diabetes, or a family history of high cholesterol.

How To Manage High Cholesterol Levels

Lifestyle changes remain one of the best methods to manage high cholesterol levels. If your body is still not able to manage cholesterol levels then you must switch to other options.

  • Cholesterol absorption inhibitors- Zetia is a drug that helps in the reduction of blood cholesterol by putting a limit to the absorption of dietary cholesterol in your body.
  • Bile acid-binding resins- Bile acids are made from cholesterol through your liver. Medications such as Prevalite, Welchol, Colestid are known to lower cholesterol indirectly by binding to bile acids.
  • Statins-Statins are a substance that blocks another substance that helps your liver make cholesterol. It helps your liver to reduce the cholesterol levels in your blood.
  • Bempedoic acid this is a drug that works the same way as a statin does. It can help to reduce the low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol levels.

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Heart Health During The Statin Break

During this time, you’ll need to be extra vigilant about your diet and exercise habits. While neither diet nor exercise alone is a long-term plan to manage FH, changes in your routine may reduce the impacts of your short-term break from taking statins.

Being careful about how much saturated fat and cholesterol you consume in your diet will be important. Your doctor may recommend the Mediterranean diet, which is a globally accepted nutrition plan that minimizes processed foods and red meat while emphasizing vegetables, fruits, lean meats, whole grains, and legumes. This eating plan is doable on any budget and can help support lifelong health, regardless of whether you have high cholesterol. A registered dietitian can help you create the optimal meal plan for your nutritional needs.

Getting enough aerobic exercise can also help control cholesterol levels. Make sure you are getting at least 30 minutes a day of pregnancy-safe exercise, such as walking, running, or swimming. Most women can safely continue their pre-pregnancy exercise routines up to and sometimes through the third trimester of pregnancy. Talk with your heart doctor and Ob/Gyn about what exercises are safe during your pregnancy.

Although Uncommon This Genetic Condition Is Responsible For Most Heart Attacks That Occur At A Young Age

You Should Never Believe These Myths You

Very high LDL cholesterol levels usually result from dozens of genetic mutations that each raise LDL by a little bit.Image: jarun011/Thinkstock

About one in 250 people has a genetic mutation that causes dangerously high cholesterol levels. Known as familial hypercholesterolemia, or FH, this condition can raise levels of harmful LDL cholesterol as high as 350 milligrams per deciliter more than three times higher than the desirable level of less than 100 mg/dL.

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  • Research health conditions
  • Prepare for a doctor’s visit or test
  • Find the best treatments and procedures for you
  • Explore options for better nutrition and exercise

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First Line Of Treatment

Fern Taylor became involved in the FH community a few years ago, hoping to raise awareness about the condition. Shes improved her social media skills just in time for a tweet-a-thon on FH Awareness Day, which is Sept. 24.

One of her main goals, she said, is to help people understand that FH isnt a typical high-cholesterol situation. While lifestyle choices can help manage FH, diet and exercise alone arent enough.

Taylor knows this firsthand. At one point, she ate only frozen vegetables for two months, then had her cholesterol levels tested.

They hadnt changed.

It was really discouraging, Taylor said. I had a terrible fear the same thing would happen to me that happened to my mother.

But Taylors mother lived before FH treatments were invented. The first statin, a lipid-lowering medication prescribed to people with FH, went on the market in 1987, nearly a decade after her death.

Statins are absolutely the first line of treatment for patients with FH, Rader said. Theres no reason to consider any medication class other than statins, initially. Theyre underutilized.

Children as young as 8 can take statins, Rader added. The earlier the condition is managed, the better the outlook.

When Fern Taylor started taking statins in her late 20s, the medications brought her total cholesterol down to 285 from 400 an improvement, but well above the ideal safe level, which is no more than 200.

Rejection likelihood varies by provider.

Treatments For Extreme Cases

If you have extremely high cholesterol levels that are hard to manage, other more extreme treatments may take place, including:

  • A procedure called LDL-apheresis: During this procedure your excess cholesterol is removed from the blood through a filtration process one to two times a week or as needed depending on the severity and effectiveness of the treatment.
  • A liver transplant: This is extremely rare and often considered a last resort.

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What Are The Causes Of High Cholesterol

There are two types of cholesterol, the good and bad cholesterol. Good cholesterol is essential for your body whereas bad cholesterol can lead to harmful diseases. Cholesterol is present in almost everything from food to medications, etc. High cholesterol levels can put your body at high risk. Here is the list of things that can cause high cholesterol.

  • Stress- Chronic stress can increase your bad cholesterol levels and decrease good cholesterol levels. This happens because stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol cause inflammation and high blood sugar. This can take the shape of high cholesterol levels over a period of time.
  • Medicines- There are certain medications that can affect your cholesterol levels such as retinoids, birth control pills, antivirals, corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, etc.
  • Unfiltered coffee- Unfiltered coffee such as espresso or any other type can land you in trouble. As the name suggests, these coffees are prepared without using any filter and oily elements like diterpenes can be found in your cup. These oily elements can raise your bad cholesterol levels. It is okay to have one or two unfiltered coffee once in a while but too much of it can lead to dangerous issues.
  • Type 2 diabetes- everyone knows what type 2 diabetes is and how it causes high blood sugar levels. An increase in sugar levels in your body can increase the risk of cholesterol molecules which makes it more harmful.
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    How to Beat High Cholesterol Without Drugs

    You are more probable to create heart disease if you have high cholesterol for an extended period. People who had high levels for 11 years or more had twice the risk as those who had them for 10 years or less, according to one research. The majority of people with high cholesterol have no warning signals.

    Non-HDL transports cholesterol from the liver to cells throughout the body. Because it binds to the interior walls of your arteries, too much bad cholesterol can be dangerous. This can result in the accumulation of fatty material a process known as atherosclerosis. It helps make blood flow more difficult, which can cause a heart attack or stroke.

    If your total cholesterol level is high, it might indicate that you have a high level of bad cholesterol in your blood. A high level of good cholesterol can assist keep bad cholesterol under control and eliminate it from your body.

    If you are a healthy adult over the age of 20, the American Heart Association suggests getting your cholesterol levels tested every 4 to 6 years. If you are at a higher risk of having high cholesterol, you may need to have your cholesterol checked more frequently.

    Because high cholesterol does not create symptoms in the early stages, it is critical to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and have your cholesterol levels tested at the doctors office regularly.

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    Who Is Most At Risk For Fh

    Familial hypercholesterolemia can affect anyone whose family carries the genetic mutation. However, its found more frequently in those who are of French Canadian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Lebanese or Afrikaner descent. The biggest problem with FH is that more than 90% of people who have it havent been diagnosed, which means you should pay careful attention to your family history,

    Seth Martin, M.D., M.H.S., associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Advanced Lipid Disorders Center.

    If people in your family have had heart attacks, needed stents or had bypass surgery earlier in life before age 55 in men and before 65 in women those are signals that theres something causing your family to be at higher risk for heart disease, he explains. It could be familial hypercholesterolemia.

    What Is Familial Hypercholesterolaemia

    FH is an inherited condition that is passed down through families and is caused by one or more faulty genes.

    It’s caused by a genetic mutation that means your liver is unable to remove excess bad cholesterol, known as LDL. This means the LDL level in your blood remains high. Having FH means youre at a greater risk of getting heart and circulatory disease at an early age if its left untreated.

    If you have very high cholesterol levels or if youve had high cholesterol from birth, you may have FH. Having FH means youre at a greater risk of getting heart and circulatory disease at an early age if the condition is left untreated. Around 1 in 250 of the UK population has the condition, although many people are unaware they have it.

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    Research For Your Health

    The NHLBI is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health the Nations biomedical research agency that makes important scientific discoveries to improve health and save lives. We are committed to advancing science and translating discoveries into clinical practice to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders, including high blood cholesterol. Learn about current and future NHLBI efforts to improve health through research and scientific discovery.

    How Do You Beat Hereditary High Cholesterol

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    Typically, lifestyle changes are the primary line of treatment for high cholesterol, but if you have FH, you will require more sophisticated treatment. It is always necessary to consume a low-fat diet, exercise, and maintain a healthy weight. A healthy lifestyle is essential for heart health as well as overall wellness.

    However, persons with FH may consume an exceptionally low-fat diet and yet be unable to regulate their cholesterol because they are genetically incapable of doing so. Regardless of what they eat, cholesterol will rise in their bloodstream.

    Fortunately, there are drugs available that can significantly reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Statin medication therapy is the most often used treatment for FH. Statin medications operate by inhibiting an enzyme in the liver that creates cholesterol and increasing your bodys ability to destroy cholesterol from the blood.

    They can reduce your LDL cholesterol levels by 50% or more. Statins have been used safely to minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease for 30 years and remain the top choice for assisting persons with FH.

    Drugs that prevent cholesterol from being taken from your intestines into your circulation, as well as pharmaceuticals that inhibit an enzyme called PCSK9, which lowers the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood, are other choices for therapy.

    Can You Live A Long Life With High Cholesterol?

    Get Tested at Least Every 5 Years:

    Make Healthy Food Choices:

    Be Active Every Day:

    Know Your Family History:

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    Is High Cholesterol Genetic Conclusion:

    High cholesterol, if left untreated, can lead to major health problems and even death. Treatment, on the other hand, can help you manage your illness and, in many circumstances, avoid problems. Request a cholesterol test from your doctor to determine if you have high cholesterol. If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, inquire about your treatment options.

    You also may want to ask a professional is high cholesterol genetic just to make sure and let them know if you do have family that also suffered from this.

    Practice good lifestyle behaviors and adhere to your doctors treatment plan to reduce your chance of consequences from high cholesterol. Eating a well-balanced diet, exercising frequently, and abstaining from tobacco products may assist you in achieving and maintaining good cholesterol levels. It may also help reduce your chances of high cholesterol problems. No longer will you have to wonder is high cholesterol genetic.

    Risk Factors And Root Causes

    Hyperlipidemia is usually the result of unhealthy lifestyle habits like smoking, poor diet and physical inactivity. Women older than 55 and men older than 45 are also more likely to be diagnosed with hyperlipidemia.

    Some other things that can cause hyperlipidemia include:

    • alcoholism
    • hypothyroidism
    • kidney disease

    Familial combined hyperlipidemia is an inherited disorder that causes high cholesterol and high levels of triglycerides in the blood. According to a study published in Human Molecular Genetics, familial combined hyperlipidemia affects 1 percent to 2 percent of the population.

    A family history of high cholesterol and early heart disease are risk factors for developing familial hyperlipidemia. Although familial combined hyperlipidemia is inherited, there are some factors that make it worse:

    • alcoholism
    • obesity
    • hypothyroidism

    In general, to be considered low-risk for hyperlipidemia, your blood work should show the following results:

    • HDL greater than 40 milligrams per deciliter
    • LDL less than 130 milligrams per deciliter
    • Triglycerides less than 200 milligrams per deciliter
    • Total cholesterol less than 200 milligrams per deciliter

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    Is It Possible To Lower Hereditary Cholesterol

    Hereditary high cholesterol is also familial hypercholesterolemia or FH. This is a hereditary cholesterol disorder in which it becomes tough for your body to remove LDL or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from the blood. It develops since your childhood and narrows the passageways. Due to this disorder, you have a high risk of stroke or heart at an early stage of life.

    Procedures To Reduce Cholesterol

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    Medical procedures that lower cholesterol levels are reserved for people with very high levels of LDL cholesterol that do not respond to diet and lipid-lowering drugs. Such people include those with familial hypercholesterolemia. LDL apheresis is the most commonly done procedure. LDL apheresis is a non-surgical procedure where blood is drawn from the person and the LDL component is separated from the rest of the blood in a special machine. The blood is then returned to the person.

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    What Is Familial Hypercholesterolemia

    Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited condition that causes high levels of LDL cholesterol beginning at birth, and heart attacks at an early age. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is found in the cells of the body. Cholesterol is also found in some foods. The body needs some cholesterol to work properly and uses cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help with food digestion. However, if too much cholesterol is present in the blood stream, it builds up in the wall of the arteries and increases the risk of heart disease.

    Cholesterol is carried in the blood stream in small packages called lipoproteins. These small packages are made up of fat on the inside and proteins on the outside. There are two main kinds of lipoprotein that carry cholesterol throughout the body. These are: low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein .

    The cholesterol carried by LDL is some times called the “bad cholesterol.” People who have familial hypercholesterolemia have high levels of LDL cholesterol because they can not remove the LDL from the blood stream properly. The organ responsible for the removal of the LDL is the liver. High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood increase the risk for heart attacks and heart disease.

    Digging Deeper Into Triglycerides

    Triglycerides three fatty acids and glycerol can contain either saturated or unsaturated fatty acids. Most triglycerides contain different types of fatty acids in them.

    Saturated fats are carbon-hydrogen chains that have single bonds between the carbons. Unsaturated fats have either one double bond or multiple double bonds . The double bonds cause a bend in the molecule, keeping it from packing together as tightly. Thus polyunsaturated fats are usually liquids and saturated fats can be solids at room temperature.

    Triglycerides from food cannot be directly absorbed. Instead, they are emulsified by lipase, an enzyme secreted by the pancreas, to break down fats. In the enterocytes of the small intestines, the fatty acids from triglycerides are packaged into chylomicrons . Picture how oil clumps together into droplets when you try to stir it into water.

    Chylomicrons contain mostly triglycerides along with a smaller percentage of cholesterol, phospholipids, and proteins. They are secreted into the lymphatic system first, so they dont initially go through the livers first amino acids and sugars.

    Testing triglyceride levels:

    Testing of triglyceride levels is usually done in a fasted state because the blood levels of triglycerides can rise quite a bit after eating.

    Plasma triglyceride tests measure the very-low-density lipoproteins and chylomicrons.

    Triglyceride level ranges:

    • Very high: 500 and up

    To convert mg/dl triglyceride levels into mmol/L, multiply by .01129.

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