High cholesterol puts patients at risk for a variety of health complications, including heart disease, which is the United States' leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says that 16.3 percent of adults in the United States have high cholesterol, meaning that about one in six adults has this condition. A healthy cholesterol level is considered to be below 200 mg/dL and 200 to 239 mg/dL is considered borderline high and cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dL are considered high, according to the American Heart Association.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited genetic condition that causes LDL cholesterol, considered the "bad" cholesterol, to become very high. This disorder is present at birth and can result in those affected having heart attacks early in life. A chromosome 19 defect causes this disorder. In addition to high cholesterol, other symptoms include chest pain, cholesterol deposits in eyelids, coronary artery disease, and fatty skin deposits over the knees, tendons, elbows, buttocks and cornea, according to MedlinePlus. Treatment focuses on trying to prevent atherosclerotic heart disease, a condition that can eventually result in the arteries becoming completely blocked. Certain lifestyle changes, such as dietary changes as recommended by the patient's doctor, reducing cholesterol intake, regular exercise and certain medications are most often used in combination to try to keep the patient's cholesterol levels in the normal range. Medications include ezetimibe, nicotinic acid, bile acid-sequestering resins and fibrates.
Medications
Certain medications can cause cholesterol levels to rise. These medications include birth control pills, corticosteroids, beta-blockers, estrogen, certain diuretics and certain antidepressants, according to MedlinePlus.
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is not a single disorder, but a group of risk factors occurring simultaneously increasing a patient's risk of developing stroke, coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes, according to MedlinePlus. It is often characterized by having excess weight around the abdominal area and high cholesterol levels. Losing weight, not smoking or quitting smoking, low-dose aspirin, lowering blood pressure, regular exercise and a healthy diet, and lowering cholesterol levels are used to treat this condition.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
This condition is characterized by a female sex hormone imbalance, resulting in skin changes, small ovarian cysts, infertility and menstrual cycle changes, according to MedlinePlus. Patients can also experience high cholesterol, weight gain, worsening acne, high blood pressure, small breasts, insulin sensitivity, diabetes, voice deepening, male-pattern baldness, clitoris enlargement and increase body hair. Losing weight is a primary treatment goal. Other treatments include surgery to remove cysts or a section of an ovary, metformin, progesterone medications, birth control pills, LH-releasing hormone analogs and anti-androgen medications.
