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High blood cholesterol is associated primarily with obesity, improper diet and advanced age. It turns out, however, that it may also be influenced by a disease called familial hypercholesterolaemia. What is this condition? How does it manifest and who can it touch? You will find the answers to these questions below.
- Usually, too high cholesterol is associated with an improper diet, obesity, lack of exercise and advanced age. It happens, however, that disturbances in its level also occur in young and slim people
- Too high cholesterol may mean you have a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia.
- It is estimated that there are over 80 in Poland. people suffering from this condition. The vast majority of them are not aware of it
- This disease does not make itself known for many years, which causes numerous complications in the form of diseases of the cardiovascular system. It also increases the risk of stroke and heart attack
- Unfortunately, it cannot be cured completely. It is only possible to manage symptoms with the right diet, exercise and medication
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Familial hypercholesterolaemia – causes and symptoms
Familial hypercholesterolaemia is a disease that is genetically determined. We inherit it from our parents autosomal dominantly. This means that it can affect both female and male descendants. If only one parent carries the disease, the child has 50 percent. chances that he will also get it. In the case where both the mother and father have this gene, the chances of their offspring not getting sick drop to zero.
How does familial hypercholesterolaemia manifest itself? Its first symptoms may appear already in childhood. However, in men, symptoms usually appear between the ages of 30 and 40, and in women between the ages of 40 and 50. In people who lead an unhealthy lifestyle (overeating, not exercising), the disease may appear much earlier.
Unfortunately, it usually develops asymptomatically for many years. It is therefore often called “the invisible disease”. As a result, the patient has no chance of adequate treatment. This results in a number of negative changes in the body. According to estimates, over 80 people suffer from this disease in Poland. people. Unfortunately, only a negligible percentage of them are aware of this.
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Familial hypercholesterolaemia makes our cholesterol (both bad and total) too high. This may come as a surprise to some. Especially for those who lead an active lifestyle, care for a healthy diet and are slim.
Another symptom of hypercholesterolaemia are changes in the heart and blood vessels similar to those seen in 80-year-olds. They usually appear when the disease develops in us from childhood, and we do not know anything about it. In such a situation, irreversible changes occur that destroy our body. What’s more, they increase our risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Here are other symptoms of familial hypercholesterolaemia:
- pain and frequent injuries of the Achilles tendons,
- pain in the chest,
- atherosclerotic changes,
- the so-called senile limbus of the cornea,
- the so-called Yellow tufts around the inner corner of the eyes.
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Familial hypercholesterolaemia – treatment
If you experience any of these symptoms, please consult your GP. This one should refer you to basic testing, including blood lipid profile testing (ie total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels). Depending on your results, your doctor may further refer you to individual specialists, including a cardiologist or genetic clinic.
As for treatment, in this case, doctors are unable to eliminate the cause of the cholesterol disturbance. This is because it has a genetic component. The genetic mutation is present in the patient throughout his life. Nevertheless, it is possible to fight against excessively high levels of LDL cholesterol. Thanks to this, there is a chance that we will avoid complications in the form of, inter alia, atherosclerosis.
The most important thing is to change your lifestyle. Patients should take care of a healthy diet rich mainly in fruits and vegetables. In turn, people struggling with the problem of overweight or obesity must definitely lose extra kilos. Among other things, limiting the consumption of meat will help. It is worth replacing them with dairy and sea fish. The diet of people with familial hypercholesterolaemia should also include seeds and nuts.
If you want to lower your cholesterol in natural ways, you can try herbs. Medonet Market’s offer includes the herbal mixture “Cholesterol and triglycerides”, containing, among others, nettle, milk thistle and wild rose.
Another important change is daily physical activity. Every day we should train for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. It doesn’t have to be a demanding exercise. A leisurely walk at the beginning is more than enough. However, the best for the health of our heart, which may be overloaded, will be cycling, Nordic walking or swimming.
If the above actions do not achieve the intended goals, it may be necessary to start the appropriate medications. The most common are statins that reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.