If there is one thing that the arteries do not like, it is fat. And doctors have understood this. Myocardial infarction affects around 80,000 people a year in France. It occurs when the wall of the coronary arteries altered and clogs, depriving the heart of oxygen. The main risk factors are tobacco, diabetes and cholesterol. The latter is controlled on a blood test prescribed by the doctor in the “full lipid“ toll ”category.
A barbaric term which includes Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. It is prescribed quite systematic in people over 50. “In terms of public Health, all men over 40 and all women over 50 should have once made a lipid assessment to detect a possible family hypercholesterolemia”, underlines, Figaro HealthProfessor Couderc.
Good and bad cholesterol
“The lipid assessment, It’s a bit like a showcase : looking at it, you have any indications on what is in the store, but sometimes, what you are shown does not correspond to what you will find inside, “comments, to the Figaro HealthProfessor Boris Hansel, diabetologist and nutritionist at Bichat-Claude-Bernard Hospital (AP-HP/Paris-Cité University). Hence the importance of prescribed by a doctor who knows his patient well.
Total HDL and LDL cholesterol
This blood analysis is a kind of reflection of the state of the arteries. To understand, Cholesterol transports lipoproteins: LDL and HDL. The first, for Low Density Lipoproteins (Lipoproteins of low density), transports the cholesterol from the liver to the organs. When present in excessive quantity, it is known to promote the formation of atheroma plates which gradually obstruct the arteries. Hence his qualification as “bad cholesterol”.
As for HDL, for High Density Lipoproteins (high density lipoproteins), he is responsible for Converse excess cholesterol From organs to the liver so that it can be eliminated naturally. We then speak of “good cholesterol”.
Normal triglycerides rate
Triglycerides are also a type of fat that constitute an important reserve of energy. Their excess in the blood, or hypertriglyceridemia, constitutes a cardiovascular risk. However, ” their blood rate is only an indicator of a disturbance of metabolismand in no way an anomaly to deal with a drug: it is necessary to act on what causes its elevation, namely most often the accumulation of visceral fat ”, warns, FigaroDr. Hansel. Their elevation is often linked to an unsuitable diet, such as sugars or alcohol ingested in large quantities.
Lipid anomaly
Like any biological examination, there are Standards not to be exceeded. A blood lipid assessment is considered normal when:
-- Total cholesterol is equal to 2 g/l and the rate is considered high if it exceeds 2.4 g/l;
- LDL cholesterol is equal to 1 g/l and the rate is considered high if it exceeds 1.6 g/l. Beyond that, we are talking about bad cholesterol;
- HDL cholesterol is between 0.4 and 0.6 g/l. In this case, this is good cholesterol;
- Triglycerides are equal to 1.5 g/l and the rate is considered high if it exceeds 2 g/l.
The reference values of these lipid parameters Vary depending on the age, sex of the patient and the laboratory where they were taken. They can also vary slightly depending on the country.
Several external criteria can disrupt the reliability of these results. The first: taking a meal before sample. To have the most precise reflection possible, it is essential that the patient is fasting at the time of the sample.
Some drugs can also disrupt results. This is the case of corticosteroids, oral contraceptives, certain neuroleptics and immunosuppressants. If the treatment is prescribed in the short term, it is preferable to repel the sample. If, on the contrary, these are essential treatments, especially not to stop and take daily, the doctor will take it into the analysis of the results.
Treatment in case of high cholesterol
“If the rates are high, the doctor will not systematically prescribe medication to lower them,” said Figaro HealthProfessor Hansel. The management is carried out according to the context and the history of the person.
Lipids come from food and are then synthesized by the liver. The first step is therefore Adopt a diet and review your lifestyle. It is preferable to promote a balanced Mediterranean type diet and to limit fat such as butter, crème fraîche and meat rich in fats.
The regular practice of physical activity is also highly recommended, as well as Stopping smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
If these hygieno-dietetic measures do not give sufficient result, and for people with the history of myocardial infarction, A hypolipaning type treatment may be prescribed by the doctor.
