Understanding High Cholesterol: Members of the Cholesterol Family and Their Health Hazards

Data shows that 2.5 to 3 million people die from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in my country every year, making these diseases a major cause of harm to the health of the Chinese people. Hyperlipidemia is a significant factor leading to atherosclerosis and further contributing to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, the Chinese population still doesn't pay enough attention to abnormal blood lipids and is unaware of their harmful effects! The damage caused by hyperlipidemia is insidious, gradual, progressive, and systemic, without obvious clinical symptoms. Once it develops, it can cause disability or death! Therefore, it is also known as the "silent killer" and the "invisible killer." Therefore, when elevated blood lipids are detected during a physical examination, it should not be ignored. It must be taken seriously, and dietary or drug therapy should be adopted according to the doctor's advice. At the same time, unhealthy lifestyle habits should be changed. Staying away from hyperlipidemia is staying away from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases!

Blood lipids are closely related to our health, so what exactly are they? Blood lipids are the general term for lipid substances contained in the blood. Lipids in blood plasma include cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, and non-free fatty acids, which combine with different proteins in the blood to exist in the form of "lipoproteins." Blood lipids come from two main sources: the food we eat and their synthesis within our bodies. Most cholesterol is synthesized by the body itself, with a small portion obtained from food. Triglycerides are the opposite; most are obtained from food, with a small portion synthesized by the body.

Hyperlipidemia or dyslipidemia is defined as any abnormality in the blood, including elevated cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or a combination of these abnormalities.

Blood lipids are a large family, with many members: the most commonly mentioned and important are cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as phospholipids, glycolipids, and steroids. Cholesterol includes low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

In its early stages, hyperlipidemia often presents with no clinical symptoms, a major reason why many people neglect early diagnosis and treatment. However, its damage to the body is insidious, gradual, progressive, and systemic. Excessive lipid deposition in internal organs can increase their size and impair liver function, leading to conditions such as fatty liver. Excessive lipid accumulation in subcutaneous tissue can form xanthoma. Some patients with hyperlipidemia may also develop pancreatitis. The most significant and prominent harm to the body is the development of atherosclerosis. After dyslipidemia occurs, lipids in the blood form fatty plaques or fibrous plaques, leading to narrowing of the arterial lumen and hardening of the arterial walls, resulting in a series of complications related to vascular diseases. These include cardiovascular complications such as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and arrhythmia; cerebrovascular complications such as cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage; renal complications such as renal artery sclerosis and renal failure; and lower limb vascular complications such as arterial occlusion due to narrowing caused by atherosclerosis, leading to difficulty walking, intermittent claudication, and even tissue necrosis, causing disability or even death.