Vol. 7, Issue 11 (2018)

Author(s):
Chitra Prabhakar and V Paul

Abstract:
Lipid disorders have a broad spectrum of metabolic conditions that affect blood lipid levels. They are generally characterized by elevated levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and/or lipoproteins in the blood in association with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The majority of lipid disorders are common because of unhealthy lifestyles (obesity, inactivity, alcoholism). Congenital causes are less common; like familial hypertriglyceridemia, is associated with extremely high levels of triglycerides that significantly increase the risk of pancreatitis in human, and familial hypercholesterolemia that results early atherosclerotic complications. Lipid disorders are usually detected during the time of routine laboratory testing, such as cardiovascular risk factor screening. The blood lipid profile includes all total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. A fasting lipid profile must show pathological values on two different occasions to confirm the diagnosis. Dyslipidemia is diagnosed if LDL levels > 130 mg/dL and/or HDL levels < 40 mg/dL. The management of lipid disorders involves lifestyle modifications and lipid-lowering agents (primarily statins).