The Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control of Dyslipidemia Essay

Introduction

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality;
• Dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for CVD;
• It includes a range of metabolic derangements:

High triglycerides (TG)

1. low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)
2. raised low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)
3. raised total cholesterol (TC).

Patient Symptoms

• No symptoms on its own;
• May lead to symptomatic diseases, such as CAD and PAD;

Their signs include:

1. Leg and chest pain;
2. Chest tightness;
3. Shortness of breath;
4. Dizziness and fainting;
5. Nausea and vomiting, and others.

Physical examination

• Swelling in a patient’s ankles, legs, feet, stomach, and neck veins;
• Arcus cornea;
• Xanthelasma;
• Xanthomas;
• Lipemia retinalis.

Diagnostic studies

Classification of dyslipidemias:

1. increases in cholesterol exclusively (pure or isolated hypercholesterolemia);
2. increases in TGs exclusively (pure or isolated hypertriglyceridemia);
3. increases in both cholesterol and TGs (mixed or combined hyperlipidemias)

Management

• Proof of benefit is the basis for making decisions;
• Treatment combines medication and lifestyle modifications;
• Drugs include acid–binding resins, nicotinic acid, fibric acid analogs, and HMG-CoA reductase Inhibitors;
• Modifications are dieting (Mediterranean diet), exercise, weight loss, limited alcohol consumption.

References

Bartlomiejczyk, M. A., Penson, P., & Banach, M. (2019). Worldwide dyslipidemia guidelines. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports, 13(2), 2.

Davidson, M.H. (2019). Dyslipidemia. Web.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2001). ATP III guidelines at-a-glance quick desk reference. Web.

Opoku, S., Gan, Y., Fu, W., Chen, D., Addo-Yobo, E., Trofimovitch, D.,… & Lu, Z. (2019). Prevalence and risk factors for dyslipidemia among adults in rural and urban China: Findings from the China National Stroke Screening and prevention project (CNSSPP). BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-15.

Pan, L., Yang, Z., Wu, Y., Yin, R. X., Liao, Y., Wang, J.,… & China National Survey of Chronic Kidney Disease Working Group. (2016). The prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of dyslipidemia among adults in China. Atherosclerosis, 248, 2-9.

Riccardi, G., Vaccaro, O., Costabile, G., & Rivellese, A. A. (2016). How well can we control dyslipidemias through lifestyle modifications? Current Cardiology Reports, 18(7), 66.