Hyperlipidemia - The Lipid Factor

“Hyperlipidemia is the medical complication where there is an increase in lipid levels of the blood,”-Prof. Arjuna De Silva, Professor in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ragama

Lipids come in various forms. Each lipid component can trigger a medical condition if found in excess levels in the blood. High cholesterol leads to hypercholesterolemia, high levels of triglycerides lead to hypertriglyceridemia, other excessive lipid components lead to other such issues. But all of these conditions fall under hyperlipidemia. Hyperlipidemia is a very common condition. Prof. Arjuna De Silva, Professor in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ragama, addressed the formalities of the medical malady, hyperlipidemia.   

Definition 
“Hyperlipidemia is the medical complication where there is an increase in lipid levels in the blood,” said Prof. De Silva. Lipids collectively comprise a group of naturally occurring molecules. This includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat soluble vitamins, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides and phospholipids amongst others. Hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia are two common conditions that occur under hyperlipidemia. “Hypercholesterolemia occurs when there is an increase in cholesterol levels in the blood whereas hypertriglyceridemia is triggered by an upsurge in the levels of triglycerides in the blood. Cholesterol is mainly classified as High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) and Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL). HDLs are known as good cholesterol and LDLs are blamed as bad cholesterol,” he stated.  

Causes 
There are two main factors that contribute to hyperlipidemia in general. According to Prof. De Silva, one is family history and genetics. The other is a person’s diet and amount of lipid intake. The former cause leads to the congenital condition of the disease. The dietary intake of excess lipids can lead to a case of hyperlipidemia later on in life, most commonly seen in middle-aged people.   

Symptoms
Prof. De Silva stated that generally symptoms related to hyperlipidemia are non-specific. “The congenital conditions of the disease may exhibit symptoms such as tendon xanthomas and corneal arcus.” Tendon xanthoma is where lipids get accumulated and deposited within the tendons. This is also seen in patients below 40 years of age. Corneal arcus (also known as Arcus senilis) is a condition where there are greyish or yellowish opaque rings or arcs in the outer parts of the cornea of the eye. The corneal arcus ring consists of lipid and cholesterol. This symptom is rarely seen in patients.   

Diagnosis
“Hyperlipidemia is diagnosed using the usual methods such as screening, blood tests after fasting, etc. By obtaining a lipid profile, it is possible to check the levels of lipid components in the blood,” explained the professor.  

Treatment and management
Prof. De Silva accentuated that hyperlipidemic patients have to keep their blood lipid levels under control by way of medicinal drugs. “In order to manage the blood lipid levels at healthy set-levels, patients suffering from hyperlipidemia have to strictly adhere to a healthy diet reducing their lipid intake. Exercise is also recommended to maintain a healthy blood circulation. Exercise helps avoid the deposition of lipids and excess fats in the body. Managing hyperlipidemia is important to prevent other conditions such as heart diseases. While hypercholesterolemia can lead to other serious medical conditions like heart diseases, hypertriglyceridemia won’t give way to heart conditions as it is less severe.”  

Prevention
Preventive methods that have to be followed in order to reduce the risk of falling victim to hyperlipidemia revolve around the usually advised methods. These include a balanced diet with a carefully monitored lipid level and regular exercise which contributes immensely to lead an active lifestyle. This ensures a lowering in the risk of falling under the category of a hyperlipidemic patient. “But if a patient has a family history of hyperlipidemia, the person will succumb to the malady as a congenital condition. Since the patient inherits hyperlipidemia genetically, it can’t be prevented and the patient will definitely have to resort to medicinal drugs to keep the lipid levels under control. Intake of fish oil is advised for hypertriglyceridemia,” explicated Prof. De Silva.   

Age groups at risk
Usually people in their middle ages fall susceptible to various forms of hyperlipidemia. The congenital condition of hyperlipidemia is generally higher in countries located in South Asia compared to the west, according to Prof. De Silva.