Detect hyperlipidemia in early stage:
Since hyperlipidemia has no obvious symptoms in the early stage, the only way to detect it early is to measure fasting blood lipids for people with any of the following risk factors:
- Age 45-69 years for males and 50-69 years for females (the incidence of hyperlipidemia increases with age).
- Patients taking anti-hypertensive drugs.
- Diabetic patients.
- Patients with abdominal obesity (meaning a male waist circumference greater than 90 cm, or a female waist circumference greater than 80 cm).
- Patients with a family history of premature angina pectoris or myocardial infarction.
- Patients with signs of coronary artery disease on coronary angiography; Patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting or angioplasty.
- Immediate family members (males aged 55 or females aged 65 or below) with sudden cardiac death.
- If cholesterol levels are within normal limits, and patients have new risk factors or new signs of coronary artery disease, etc.
- Patients aged 35 or above with long-term high fat, high sugar diet, chronic smoking, and alcohol consumption.
- Patients who do not engage in exercise.
- Patients with irregular lifestyles and emotional stress, and long-term stress.
All of the above 11 groups of people need to undergo regular blood lipid tests. If blood lipid levels are slightly increased or at the edge of the normal range, patients should be advised to change their lifestyles and dietary habits, and recheck their blood lipids after 3-4 months.
laboratory tests
Early detection of hyperlipidemia, a condition characterized by elevated levels of lipids in the blood, typically relies on a series of laboratory tests that gauge the various types of lipids present. The cornerstone of these assessments is the total cholesterol test, which quantifies the overall cholesterol content in the blood, encompassing both the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and the detrimental low-density lipoprotein (LDL) forms. Additionally, a triglycerides test is conducted to evaluate the levels of this particular type of fat, which, when elevated, can heighten the risk of cardiovascular ailments.
Further, specific tests focus on HDL cholesterol, often lauded as the “good” cholesterol due to its association with a reduced risk of heart disease, and LDL cholesterol, dubbed the “bad” cholesterol, whose high levels can precipitate the accumulation of plaque in arterial walls, thereby elevating the risk of heart disease and stroke.
For a more holistic evaluation, a lipid profile or lipid panel may be employed. This comprehensive examination incorporates all the aforementioned measurements, along with supplementary calculations such as the cholesterol/HDL ratio, to offer a nuanced understanding of an individual’s lipid profile and their susceptibility to cardiovascular health issues.
The execution of these tests involves a simple blood draw, usually from a vein in the arm, with the sample subsequently analyzed in a laboratory. The results of these analyses enable healthcare providers to evaluate the risk of hyperlipidemia and prescribe suitable lifestyle modifications or medical treatments as necessary.