What happens if ldl is high

Other lifestyle factors that can contribute to high cholesterol include inactivity and smoking. Your genetics can also affect your chances of developing high cholesterol. Genes are passed down from parents to children. Certain genes instruct your body on how to process cholesterol and fats.

If your parents have high cholesterol, you may be at a greater risk of having it too. In rare cases, high cholesterol is caused by familial hypercholesterolemia. This genetic disorder prevents your body from removing LDL. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute , most adults with this condition have total cholesterol levels above milligrams per deciliter and LDL levels above milligrams per deciliter.

Other health conditions, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism , may also increase your risk of developing high cholesterol and related complications. If your levels of LDL cholesterol are too high, it can build up on the walls of your arteries. This buildup is also known as cholesterol plaque. This plaque can narrow your arteries, limit your blood flow, and raise your risk of blood clots.

If a blood clot blocks an artery in your heart or brain, it can cause a heart attack or stroke. This helps prevent cholesterol plaque from building up in your arteries. When you have healthy levels of HDL cholesterol, it can help lower your risk of blood clots, heart disease, and stroke.

Triglycerides are another type of lipid. While your body uses cholesterol to build cells and certain hormones, it uses triglycerides as a source of energy. When you eat more calories than your body can use right away, it converts those calories into triglycerides. It stores triglycerides in your fat cells.

It also uses lipoproteins to circulate triglycerides through your bloodstream. If you regularly eat more calories than your body can use, your triglyceride levels may become too high.

This can raise your risk of several health problems, including heart disease and stroke. Your doctor can use a simple blood test to measure your triglyceride level, as well as your cholesterol levels. If you have a history of high cholesterol or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, your doctor may encourage you to get your cholesterol levels tested more often.

Your doctor can use a lipid panel to measure your total cholesterol level, as well your LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Your total cholesterol level is the overall amount of cholesterol in your blood. If your levels of total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol are too high, your doctor may diagnose you with high cholesterol. If your doctor does prescribe you medication, different factors may influence the type of medication they recommend.

With this in mind, most physicians use generalized measurements to decide on treatment plans. Get Email Updates. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address. What's this? Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. It's mainly caused by eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol.

It can also run in families. You can lower your cholesterol by eating healthily and getting more exercise. How can a high LDL level raise my risk of coronary artery disease and other diseases? How do I know what my LDL level is? The general recommendations are: For people who are age 19 or younger: The first test should be between ages 9 to 11 Children should have the test again every 5 years Some children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of high blood cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke For people who are age 20 or older: Younger adults should have the test every 5 years Men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years What can affect my LDL level?

Things that can affect your LDL level include Diet. Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat make your blood cholesterol level rise Weight.

A lack of physical activity can lead to weight gain, which can raise your LDL level Smoking. Cigarette smoking lowers your HDL cholesterol. Age and Sex. As women and men get older, their cholesterol levels rise. Before the age of menopause, women have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After the age of menopause, women's LDL levels tend to rise.

Your genes partly determine how much cholesterol your body makes. High cholesterol can run in families. For example, familial hypercholesterolemia FH is an inherited form of high blood cholesterol.