Disordered fat in the blood. This is the literal meaning of dyslipidemia, a lipoprotein metabolism disorder, which can cause overproduction or underproduction of lipoprotein.
The lipoprotein contains proteins and lipids, which enable fats to be carried in the bloodstream. Blood lipids are fatty substances, such as cholesterol and triglycerides. They can be beneficial or be a disability to a person depending on what it carries. When a lipoprotein becomes large and less dense, it is carrying more fat than protein.
High-density lipoproteins (HDL), according to Dr. Rey Salinel, diabetes specialist and infectious disease doctor, get cholesterol from the body tissues, which are brought to the liver. He said to Radyo Klinika at Dwiz 882 AM that this is called the good cholesterol lipoprotein.
The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) carries cholesterol from the liver to other cells of the body. But this is the cholesterol that the body doesn’t need.
There are also low-density lipoproteins, which carry newly synthesized triacylglycerol from the liver to adipose tissue. Adipose tissue is fat found beneath the skin or around internal organs. Its main role is to store energy through fat and protect the organs (like padding for the organs). It also insulates the body from cold and heat.
Chylomicrons, on the other hand, carry triglycerides from the intestines to the liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.
When there is overproduction or deficiency of these lipoproteins, health problems related to cholesterol levels, will set in. Among these problems are diabetes and hypertension.
A patient may experience dyslipidemia or lipoprotein overproduction or deficiency when there is an elevation of the total cholesterol, the bad or low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, and a decrease in the good or high density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood.
High LDL cholesterol levels can cause hardened fat deposits in the arteries, which can, in turn, hamper the flow of blood from the heart to the entire body. These plaques can narrow the arteries, which can cause heart attack, peripheral artery disease and stroke.
The ideal cholesterol levels for adults, particularly those with diabetes, are less than 100 mg/dl or 2.60 mmol/dl. The desired HDL cholesterol levels should be equal to or greater than 40 mg/dl or 1.02 mmol/L. Triglyceride levels should be less than 150 mg/dl or 1.7 mmol/L.
Thus, it is best to check cholesterol levels regularly (every year), reminds Salinel.
Salinel holds clinic at: Hi-Precision Diagnostics International in Taft Avenue, Manila, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 noon and Balbidos Clinical Laboratory at 117 Buendia corner FB Harrison Street Pasay City, Monday to Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m. Call or send your message to: 0942-471-4353
Radyo Klinika is a medical and wellness program which airs Tuesday to Friday, 7 to 8 p.m., on DWIZ 882 KHZ AM. It goes live online via Facebook: Dwiz 882. Recorded clips can be viewed via YouTube: Marou Pahati Sarne.
Radyo Klinika clinched the 2016 KBP Best Radio Magazine Program award. E-mail: marou70@gmail.com