High Cholesterol in the Blood or Hyperlipidemia
The pathological conditions in which there are high levels of fats in the blood. The medical term for these conditions is hyperlipidemia, which is made of three parts; hyper-, is a prefix meanings more or extra, lipid is fat, and emia is a suffix indicating that the condition is in the blood. Hyperlipidemia is a general term, it could be either high cholesterol in the blood (hypercholesterolemia), high triglycerides in the blood (hypertriglyceridemia) or it could be both.
When we talk about too much cholesterol in the bloods we mean by that high LDL (the bad cholesterol), there is nothing called too much of a good thing; so high levels of HDL (the good cholesterol) is not considered a disease. We have to remember that the absolute values of these two lipoproteins are not that important but rather the ratio between the two. So lower than normal value of HDL, even in the presence of normal value of LDL, is still considered hypercholesterolemia.
Hereditary
Many factors can lead to having high lipid levels in the bloods like defected copy of one of the several genes that participate in lipid metabolism. The mutation might cause more production of LDL or decrease its rate of clearance from the blood. On the other hand, the mutated gene might promote faster HDL clearance or lower its production. Either way, the balance between the good cholesterol and the bad cholesterol is disturbed and there is more of the bad stuff in the blood. In such hereditary cases, a positive family history is always present, and these individuals develop arteriosclerosis earlier than usual.
Food habit
The majority of the cases are not caused by hereditary factors, but rather secondary to other conditions. Obesity is considered a risk factor because it usually indicates a certain life style with high food consumption and low physical exercises, both are incriminated in high blood lipids. High consumption of food rich in saturated fat such as found in meats, non-skim dairy products, butter and some artificially hydrogenated vegetable oils is particularly risky. We have to remember that high intake of cholesterol prevents the uptake of cholesterol circulating in the blood by the liver, and these kinds of food are not short of it.
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, especially if poorly controlled, is a major contributor to high blood lipids. Other diseases such as kidney failure or hyperthyroidism may also cause hyperlipidemia. Drugs such as estrogens, oral contraceptives, and corticosteroids can increase the blood lipid level as well. The high levels of triglycerides are caused by similar factors that lead to high LDL, but there is no established link between high triglycerides and cardiovascular diseases. The consumption of a high calorie diet and excessive use of alcohol are also contributing factors to high blood levels of triglycerides.
Alliance
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Comments
Grandfather has abnormal CBC results?
My grandfather is one of those stubborn people who refuses to go to the doctor, so when he decided to go the the doctor recently, my whole family was surprised and concerned.
His total cholesterol was 218 (normal range shouldn’t be higher than 200).
He was sent to get blood drawn this morning.
MCH was 32.1 (normal=26.0-32.0)
RDW was 15.1 (normal=11.5-14.5)
Clotting time was 8 seconds (normal was 1.8-8 according to lab, although I can’t find any other source that agrees with that- I thought it should be more like 10-12 sec)
Platelets were 1202 (normal is 140-440! That number is SCARY!)
His father had several strokes, the first one right before he turned 70, and then he died right before he turned 71 of a massive stroke.
His dr is sending him for a bone marrow biopsy in 2 weeks, and won’t give any answers until those results are back.
My family asked me for answers as to what could be going on. The doctor isn’t saying anything until all other tests are completed. Unfortunately, because I work postpartum, I don’t deal with platelets and clotting, and hyperlipidemia and such things often enough to have a solid answer right now.
I really appreciate the help! (I’d prefer it if only people in healthcare or people with direct experience with this type of situation answer).
Thank you sooo much in advance!
I only have a few seconds here and so let me say that there needs to be clarification of the clotting time testing above. That normal range looks more like the R value of thromboelastography but I am just guessing.
A platelet of 1202 is very high and not a reactive thrombocytosis. They need to rule out a myeloproliferative disorder thus the bone marrow examination.
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