▶ Rapid increase in patients with dyslipidemia and high blood cholesterol
▶ Factors such as myocardial infarction and stroke
▶It is important to avoid saturated and trans fats and maintain regular aerobic exercise.
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction and stroke, are the second leading cause of death in Koreans after cancer (Statistics Korea, 2021 Cause of Death Statistics). It ranks first globally. This trend is expected to continue due to aging and Westernized eating habits.
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease occurs for a variety of reasons, including genetic and environmental factors, and dyslipidemia with high blood cholesterol is also an important factor. Therefore, controlling dyslipidemia, easily detectable with a simple blood test, can help prevent it.
A condition in which total cholesterol and “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood are elevated is called “hypercholesterolemia.” If the triglyceride level is high (hypertriglyceridemia), it is called hyperlipidemia. If you have hyperlipidemia and a low level of “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, it is called “dyslipidemia.” Medically, the more accurate name for the disease is dyslipidemia rather than hyperlipidemia.
The number of patients suffering from dyslipidemia is already approaching 1.5 million (National Health Insurance Corporation). The number of patients with dyslipidemia increased to 1,467,539 in 2021, a 2.4-fold increase from 624,345 in 2016, five years ago. If dyslipidemia occurs due to increased fats in the blood, it can lead to atherosclerosis and, in severe cases, can worsen to myocardial infarction, angina (cardiovascular disease), or stroke (cerebrovascular disease).
Cholesterol cannot travel on its own in the blood, but travels in the form of particles called “lipoproteins”. As the lipoprotein particles that carry cholesterol break down, they become smaller and become “bad” LDL cholesterol particles with a large fraction of cholesterol. The characteristic of LDL cholesterol is that it is small in size and easily penetrates the walls of blood vessels. As with dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis begins when vascular cells consume increased LDL cholesterol particles.
Lee Sang-hak, professor of cardiology at Severance Hospital, said: “If atherosclerosis occurs, where the walls of blood vessels narrow due to cholesterol, it is very likely to lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.”
There are two main preventative treatments for dyslipidemia with elevated LDL cholesterol and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle modification and pharmacological treatment. Lifestyle modifications may largely include diet and exercise.
The core of diet therapy can be summarized as “avoidance of foods to avoid.” The most important thing is to reduce saturated and trans fats. Representative examples include fried foods, fatty meats, snacks and desserts. Physical therapy is not very effective in reducing dyslipidemia levels, but is recommended because it is effective in preventing cardiovascular disease.
Furthermore, if you suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes or smoke, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease is high, therefore, even if your cholesterol level is low, you should take treatment for dyslipidemia (or medicines to prevent atherosclerosis or diseases cardiovascular if it is called by another name based on its effectiveness) even if your cholesterol level is low.
However, if there are no other risk factors and cholesterol is high, drug treatment may not be administered. It goes without saying that the cardiovascular disease prevention effect is much better when, in addition to the treatment of dyslipidemia, other risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, smoking) are simultaneously controlled.
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