Familial combined hyperlipidemia

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Coronary artery blockage

Multiple lipoprotein-type hyperlipidemia

The goal of treatment is to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

The first step is to change what you eat. This is tried for several months before drug therapy is added. Diet changes include reducing total fat intake to less than 30% of the total calories you eat.

You can reduce your saturated fat intake by:

• Decreasing amounts of beef, chicken, pork, and lamb
• Substituting low-fat dairy products for full-fat ones
• Eliminating coconut and palm oils

You can reduce your the amount of cholesterol you eat by eliminating egg yolks and organ meats.

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Dietary counseling is often recommended to help people make these adjustments to their eating habits. Weight loss and regular exercise may also aid in lowering cholesterol levels.

See also: Heart disease and diet

MEDICATIONS

If lifestyle changes do not change your cholesterol levels, your doctor may recommend medication. There are several types of drugs available to help lower blood cholesterol levels, and they work in different ways. Some are better at lowering LDL cholesterol, some are good at lowering triglycerides, while others help raise HDL cholesterol.

The most commonly used and effective drugs for treating high LDL cholesterol are called statins. The include lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), simvastatin (Zocor), fluvastatin (Lescol), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and rosuvastatin (Crestor).

Other cholesterol-lowering medicines include:

• Bile acid-sequestering resins
• Ezetimibe
• Fibrates (such as gemfibrozil)
• Nicotinic acid

How well a person does depends on how early the condition is diagnosed, when treatment is received, and whether treatment is followed. Without treatment, heart attack or stroke may cause early death.

Some people may have such high lipid levels that an increased risk of heart attack remains despite medical therapy.

• Early atherosclerotic heart disease
• Heart attack
• Stroke

Seek immediate medical care if you have chest pain or other warning signs of a heart attack.

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have a personal or family history of high cholesterol levels.

Review Date: 05/23/2010
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).