WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in your blood. Your body can make cholesterol as well as get it from eating meats and other animal food products.
WHY IS CHOLESTEROL IMPORTANT?
Too much cholesterol can build up in your blood vessels. This build up can narrow vessels and lead to a blockage, preventing blood from getting to a certain area of your body. When this occurs in your heart vessels, it is called coronary heart disease and can cause a heart attack.
In people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), heart disease is very common. It is suggested that people with CKD have cholesterol labs drawn at least yearly. Your doctor may want to do them more frequently if something has changed with your health.
WHAT OTHER ITEMS ARE USED TO MEASURE RISK FOR HEART DISEASE?
Aside from high LDL cholesterol levels, the risk for heart disease increases with the following risk factors:
cigarette smoking
obesity
high blood glucose
low HDL cholesterol
age (men > 45 years old; women > 55 years old)
high blood pressure or on antihypertensive medications
diabetes mellitus
family history of early heart disease
other forms of vessel narrowing diseases.
People with CKD may have some added risk factors that lead to heart disease:
large calcium intake from diet or medication
high blood phosphorus levels
high parathyroid hormone levels
high homocysteine levels
whole body inflammation.
People who are physically inactive or who eat foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol are also at risk for developing heart disease.
Cholesterol and CKD has close relation. If you are happen to be a CKD patient, it is important for you to lower high cholesterol level. If you want to know how to manage its level, you can leave us a message to kidneycares@hotmail.com or consult our online doctor directly.
