High cholesterol – treatment and risks

Cholesterol is present in cell walls or membranes in every part of your body including your brain, nerves, muscles and heart. This wax-like substance helps in building and maintaining membranes and producing sex and steroid hormones, Vitamin D and bile juice. Cholesterol is a lipid which is produced from the fat present in the food that you eat and in your liver. Cholesterol is naturally present in your body, and some amount of it is produced for keeping your body healthy. Cholesterol cannot travel in your body by itself, and so it is carried around by lipoproteins.

What is high cholesterol?

The lipoproteins that carry the cholesterol around your body are of two types, low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). The low density lipoproteins (LDL) carry the cholesterol in your bloodstream for the cells to use it. HDL takes away the cholesterol from the cells to your liver, where it is broken down and ultimately excreted from your body. LDL is also referred to as bad cholesterol, and the increase in the level of this cholesterol is known as high cholesterol. This health condition can further lead to several severe health complications, which can prove life threatening as well.

What are the risks of high cholesterol?

High cholesterol is associated with several health conditions such as diabetes, kidney diseases, reduced metabolism due to thyroid problems and alcohol abuse. High cholesterol can lead to the narrowing and constricting of your blood vessels, a condition known as atherosclerosis. It can also bring about several cardiovascular diseases. As a part of cardiovascular disease, you can experience narrowing of the arteries supplying blood to your lower limbs. This can cause extreme pain while performing simple actions such as walking or running. You can also suffer from strokes, angina, heart attacks, reduced heart function and erectile dysfunction as well.

How can high cholesterol be treated?

You can treat this condition with the help of high cholesterol treatments that are available on the market. One of the most popular and commonly used treatments used by thousands of people is Simvastatin,which help in lowering the levels of the bad cholesterol . This pill belongs to the group of medicines known as statins,. If this pill is used in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise, it can effectively reduce the bad cholesterol in your body. On reducing the level of low density lipoproteins, it minimizes your risk of developing heart attacks, strokes or atherosclerosis.

This high cholesterol treatment works by preventing your liver from producing excess amounts of bad cholesterol in your body. When the level of LDL cholesterol decreases in your liver, it absorbs the same from your blood, thus decreasing the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood. When the liver absorbs LDL from your blood, it reduces the level of cholesterol, thus controlling it. Simvastatin is available in the dosage strengths of 5mg, 10mg, 20mg, 40mg and 80mg. Most of the patients suffering from high cholesterol are prescribed tablets with the dosage strength of 20mg or 40mg.