6 Diseases That Are Linked To Cholesterol- Details Explained!
Cholesterol is an important part of our bodies, and it helps keep our organs healthy. It’s a type of fat that we need in order to make hormones and vitamin D, which are important for good health.
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What Are The Six Severe Diseases Caused By Cholesterol?
But when you have too much cholesterol in your body over time (and this can happen if you eat too much-saturated fat or drink too much alcohol), it can build up into plaques inside your arteries.
This is known as atherosclerosis, which may cause a heart attack or stroke.
If you want to know more about what causes cholesterol problems, read on!
1. Heart Disease
One of the most common diseases caused by high cholesterol is heart disease.
Coronary heart disease, specifically, refers to the narrowing of coronary arteries due to the buildup of plaque and fat deposits within them. This can lead to angina (chest pain) or myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and affects people of all ages—including children as well!
It’s also important to note that women are more likely than men to suffer from this condition after menopause due to reduced estrogen levels.
2. Stroke
A stroke is a medical emergency. It’s caused by a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain, which cuts off oxygen to that part of the brain. The body cannot tolerate this deprivation for long, so it starts to die.
The symptoms of a stroke can be mild or severe; if you suspect that you or someone else is having one, call 911 immediately!
3. Peripheral Artery Disease
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the legs and feet.
PAD can lead to pain in the legs and feet, which may be severe enough to interfere with walking.
If you have diabetes or high cholesterol, your risk of PAD increases. So does smoking, being overweight, and having high blood pressure — are all risk factors for heart disease.
Although doctors don’t know for sure what causes PAD, they think that it may be caused by plaque building up in the arteries over time.
This can cause them to narrow so much that only a small amount of blood gets through each time it passes through the narrowed artery — just like when you restrict water flow through a garden hose: The flow slows down until there’s hardly any left at all.
4. Atherosclerosis
The buildup of plaque in our arteries is known as atherosclerosis. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, calcium, and other substances that are deposited into the walls of your blood vessels.
Over time, this plaque can harden and narrow your arteries.
This process can lead to coronary heart disease—which is the most common cause of death worldwide—or stroke if a clot forms in the narrowed artery that supplies blood to your brain (ischemic stroke).
It can also lead to peripheral artery disease (PAD), where plaque builds up in an artery leading away from your heart or brain.
5. Aortic Stenosis
Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve, which is located between your heart and your main artery, called the aorta.
As you age, this opening tends to narrow and become stiff, reducing blood flow out of your heart.
This causes an increase in pressure inside your arteries (called hypertension), which can lead to fluctuations in blood pressure that cause dizziness and shortness of breath. If it gets worse over time, it can also cause heart failure.
6. Renal Artery Stenosis
It’s a type of fat called a steroid (or sterol). It’s found in all cells in the body, including the skin and hair.
Lipoproteins are classified into two types: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL carries cholesterol from tissues to the liver for removal from the body. LDL transports cholesterol from food to tissues throughout the body.
Cholesterol is used to make hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids. It also helps make cell membranes and cell walls.
Final Words
We hope that this article has helped you understand what cholesterol is and how it can affect your health. As you can see, there are many diseases that are caused by high levels of cholesterol in the body. If you have any questions about this topic, please contact your doctor!
