Cholesterol FAQs (cont.)

Cholesterol Levels Slideshow Pictures

Lower Cholesterol Slideshow: Avoid Heart Disease

Take the Cholesterol Quiz

Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

View Full Profile

What is cholesterol?
What causes high cholesterol?
What are the symptoms of high cholesterol?
How often should I have my cholesterol checked?
How is cholesterol checked?
Should I only be concerned with my total cholesterol number?
What kinds of problems are caused by high cholesterol?
What can I do to prevent high cholesterol?
When would a doctor prescribe a medication to lower cholesterol?
What are the uncontrollable and controllable risk factors for high cholesterol?
Synonyms and Keywords
Authors and Editors
Read more on Cholesterol FAQs from Healthwise

What are the uncontrollable and controllable risk factors for high cholesterol?

A person can control lifestyle options to maximize their potential to control high cholesterol levels with a healthy diet, exercise, weight control, and avoiding or quitting smoking.

However, there are some situations that are beyond control of the individual. Family history and genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, aging (men older than 45 and women older than 55), and diseases that cause the liver to produce more cholesterol or prevent it from metabolizing cholesterol are risk factors for high cholesterol. These risks can be minimized by living a healthier lifestyle but may require cholesterol-lowering medication.

Synonyms and Keywords»

«Previous

...

(Page 8 of 11)

Glossary