Medical Director:
Peter Dionisopoulos, MD

High Cholesterol
It has no warning or symptoms, yet it can cause serious health problems. Hypercholesterolemia or high blood cholesterol is a serious risk factor for coronary artery disease. High cholesterol along with diabetes, obesity, inactivity, smoking, high blood pressure, and diet can all contribute to heart disease.

Heart disease is American's number one cause of death, killing more than 960,000 Americans each year. It's estimated that nearly 100 million American adults have total blood cholesterol levels of 200 or higher. According to the American Heart Association, total cholesterol levels of 240 or above are considered high; levels from 200 to 239 are considered borderline-high.

Cholesterol can be broken down into three components: low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), and triglycerides. Levels of each component can be assessed to determine an individual's risk for heart disease. LDL is known as the 'bad' cholesterol and contributes to plaque formation in the arteries, thus contributing to blockages in the arteries. HDL is considered the 'good' protein because it helps to remove cholesterol from the body. Triglycerides are actually a source of energy for the body. However, high triglycerides often exist with low HDL and may indicate a risk.

The Nebraska Heart Institute's Lipid Clinic specializes in treating people with elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The program involves medical evaluation, lifestyle assessment, blood testing, diet and exercise counseling, and medication regiments. The Lipid Clinic's health care team includes cardiologists, registered nurses, dietitians, and an exercise physiologist.

A distressing number of patients who have had previous heart attacks, coronary bypass surgery, or angioplasty reappear several years later with progressive heart disease. Many of these patients never had effective control of their blood cholesterol levels. The Lipid Clinic recognizes the consequence that high cholesterol may have. By maintaining a healthy cholesterol level, you can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or developing heart disease.

Blood cholesterol levels may be affected by several factors:

• Diet: Saturated fat in the diet can contribute to a higher level of LDL, increasing the risk for heart disease.
• Obesity: Obesity can cause both your LDL to rise as well as your HDL, the good lipo protein, to go down.
• Exercise: As many as 250,000 deaths per year in the United States are attributed to a lack of regular physical activity. Increased activity helps to lower LDL and raise HDL levels.
• Age/gender: Levels in both men and women begin to go up at about age 20; women before menopause generally have lower levels than men of the same age.
• Heredity: Unfortunately, we don't have any input in the genetic code we inherit. Genes can influence how your body makes and handles cholesterol.

It is recommended that all people over the age of 20 have their cholesterol checked at least once every five years. Those with heart disease may need to be checked more often.

The Lipid Clinic will see patients in the clinic by referral from the patient's primary care physician. Once assessment has been completed and recommendations outlined, the patient will be returned to the referring physician. However, some patients may require intermittent follow-up in the Lipid Clinic to check lipid levels and possible medication effectiveness.

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Lipid & Heart Attack Prevention Clinic • (402) 328-3990