Hyperlipidaemia Health Dictionary

Presence in the blood of excess lipids (fatty substances) including cholesterol, often a forerunner of arterial disease, coronary thrombosis, strokes. Related to diabetes and heart disease. There is an inherited form giving rise to family history of coronary disease at an early age.

Causes. Diet of too much animal fat, smoking, overweight, little exercise.

Symptoms. Same as those for ischaemic heart disease, acute pancreatitis, indigestion, abdominal pain. Alternatives. Hawthorn berries, Lime flowers, Goat’s Rue. Garlic – raw bulb with salads or 2-3 capsules at night. Herb Purslane (Portulaca oleracae): rich in EFA’s (essential fatty acids) in general, and EPA in particular.

Garlic powder significantly reduces serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in hyperlipidaemia. (German Association of General Practitioners, Study Group on Phytotherapy)

Guar gum. Lowers serum fat levels, body weight and blood pressure: see entry. Add Hawthorn for angina; Goat’s Rue for diabetes; Ispaghula seeds (Regulan) for intestinal and bowel health and to reduce blood-fats.

Fenugreek seeds. Lowers blood cholesterol levels in healthy people and in diabetics. Contain galacto- mannan which aids fat digestion.

Diet. Low fat. High-complex carbohydrate diet. Sugar and refined starches raise but Oats and Bran lower cholesterol levels. High levels reduced by oleic acid (Olive oil). French research workers claim three apples a day can lower plasma and liver cholesterol levels by as much as 30 per cent. The effect is believed to be due to vegetable fibre, especially pectin. Those who stopped eating their three apples after the trial showed a return to higher levels. Replace unsaturated with vegetable polyunsaturated fats. Two or three fatty fish meals weekly to prevent clumping of platelets. Linseed, Grape juice, Artichokes. See entry – OILY FISH.

Supplement: Nicotinic acid.

Stop smoking. Limit intake of alcohol. 

An excess of fat in the blood, characterising a group of metabolic disorders. The two most important fats circulating in the blood are CHOLESTEROL and TRIGLYCERIDE. Raised blood levels of cholesterol predispose to ATHEROMA and coronary artery disease (see HEART, DISEASES OF); raised triglycerides predispose to pancreatitis (see PANCREAS, DISORDERS OF). Six types of hyperlipidaemia have been identi?ed, and diagnosis of the di?erent types depends upon blood tests to discover lipid levels. Some of the hyperlipidaemias are familial, and some are secondary to other diseases such as hypothyroidism (see THYROID GLAND, DISEASES OF), DIABETES MELLITUS, nephrotic syndrome and alcoholism.

Treatment There is evidence that therapy which lowers the lipid concentration reduces the progression of premature atheroma, particularly in those who suffer from the familial disorder. Treatment should include appropriate diets, usually food that is low in cholesterol and saturated fats. There are a number of drugs available for lowering the lipid content of the plasma, but these should be reserved for patients in whom severe hyperlipidaemia is inadequately controlled by weight reduction. Anion-exchange resins – clo?brate, beza?brate and gem?brozil, for example – and statins such as atorvastatin and simvastatin, as well as nicotinic acid, all lower plasma cholesterol and plasma triglyceride concentration through their e?ect on reducing the hepatic production of lipoproteins. Cholestyramine and colestipol, both of which are anion-exchange resins, bind bile salts in the gut and so decrease the absorption of the cholesterol that these bile salts contain – hence lowering plasma cholesterol concentrations. Probucol lowers plasma cholesterol concentrations by increasing the metabolism of low-density lipoproteins.

The statins (atorvastatin, cerivastatin, ?uvastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin) inhibit an enzyme involved in synthesising cholesterol, especially in the liver. They are more e?ective than anion-exchange resins in lowering LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol – a form of low-density cholesterol carried in the bloodstream, high levels of which are believed to be the main cause of atheroma. Statins are, however, less e?ective than the clo?brate group in reducing triglycerides and raising HDL (highdensity lipoprotein) cholesterol (high-density cholesterol).

(hyperlipaemia) n. the presence in the blood of an abnormally high concentration of cholesterol (see hypercholesterolaemia) and/or triglycerides (see hypertriglyceridaemia) in the form of lipoproteins, which predisposes to *atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Familial mixed hyperlipidaemia is an autosomal *dominant condition that occurs in 1 in 200 people and in up to 20% of those with early-onset cardiovascular disease. It is marked by elevation of triglycerides, *low-density lipoprotein, and/or *very low-density lipoprotein coupled with a reduction in *high-density lipoprotein.