Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
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Hyperlipidemia does not cause specific symptoms, but it can have effects on your body.
Many of these effects are related to the build-up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels (atherosclerosis), which can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension), heart attack, stroke, and other related conditions.
If you have atherosclerosis or hypertension, you can experience shortness of breath and fatigue, particularly with exertion.
Advanced hyperlipidemia can cause:
How to Tell If You Have High Cholesterol
Healthcare providers sometimes classify the causes of secondary hyperlipidemia according to the four D’s: diet, disorders of metabolism, diseases, and drugs. Unlike primary hyperlipidemia, which is an inherited disorder, the causes of secondary hyperlipidemia are usually modifiable.
Diet
This includes eating too much food that raises “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol rather than “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Excessive amounts of saturated fat and trans fats from red meat, processed meats, commercial baked goods, and fried foods can contribute to secondary hyperlipidemia.
Risk factors such as smoking and heavy alcohol use also may contribute to the development and severity of secondary hyperlipidemia.
Metabolic Disorders and Diseases
A metabolic disorder involves hormone disruptions. It may be acquired, such as metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, or congenital, such as type 1 diabetes.
In either instance, hyperlipidemia that arises as a result of a metabolic disorder is considered secondary even if the cause of the disorder is genetic.
Several metabolic disorders are associated with secondary hyperlipidemia:
Certain autoimmune diseases such asCushing’s syndromeandlupusalso are associated with secondary hyperlipidemia. Sometimes eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa can cause abnormal elevations of total cholesterol and LDL.
Many disorders that affect the endocrine system (which regulates hormone production) or metabolism (the conversion of calories to energy) can increase the risk of secondary hyperlipidemia.
Treatment Guidelines for High Cholesterol
Drugs
Some medications may impair hormone-producing glands, alter the chemistry of blood, or interfere with how lipids are cleared from the body.
The body uses cholesterol to produce hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol. Drugs that increase hormone levels, such as hormone replacement therapy for treating menopause, can cause cholesterol to accumulate because the body no longer needs it to synthesize hormones.
Among the drugs associated with secondary hyperlipidemia:
Hyperlipidemia, both primary and secondary, is diagnosed with a lipid panel. This blood test measures lipids in the blood after fasting for around 12 hours.
The lipid panel is measured in values of milligrams per deciliters (mg/dL).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the desirable values for cholesterol and triglycerides are:
6 Ways to Prevent High Cholesterol
Because secondary hyperlipidemia is acquired, an important aspect of treatment is lifestyle modification. Cholesterol-lowering drugs also are key.
Most of the underlying metabolic causes, like diabetes and hypothyroidism, are chronic and are not so much “cured” as they are controlled. Others, like hepatitis C, can be cured, although damage to the liver may result in elevated lipid levels even after treatment.
Not getting adequate treatment for secondary hyperlipidemia can result in serious health problems.
What Is Hyperlipidemia?
Diet and Lifestyle Modifications
The first step in managing hyperlipidemia is modifying the lifestyle factors that contribute to abnormally high blood fats—diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and the overuse of alcohol.
Among the lifestyle interventions a healthcare provider may recommend:
High Cholesterol Diet: What to Eat and Avoid
Medications
Among them:
A newer class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, calledPCSK9 inhibitors, are used for the treatment of primary hyperlipidemia (includingfamilial hypercholesterolemia), as well as secondary hyperlipidemia.
Lowering Cholesterol Without Prescription Drugs
A Word From Verywell
Even though secondary hyperlipidemia is something you acquire, it shouldn’t suggest that you are “to blame” for your condition. Some of the causes are beyond your control and some lifestyle factors might not have caused lipid elevations for you until recently.
Work with your healthcare provider to find the best ways to treat your condition. If your hyperlipidemia is especially resistant to treatment, you might need a referral to a lipidologist.
Understanding High Cholesterol and Borderline High Cholesterol
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nelson RH.Hyperlipidemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.Prim Care. 2013;40(1):195-211. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2012.11.003Jakobiec FA, Ma L, Wolkow N, Sutula FC, Freitag SK.The significance of extracellular cholesterol crystals or a cholesterol granuloma in xanthelasma.Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2018;4(6):345-54. doi:10.1159/000486532Chimura Y, Daimon T, Wakabayashi I.Proneness to high blood lipid-related indices in female smokers.Lipids Health Dis.2019;18:113. doi:10.1186/s12944-019-1050-3Parhofer KG.The treatment of disorders of lipid metabolism.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2016;113(15):26108. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2016.0261Jáuregui-Garrido B, Bolaños-Ríos P, Santiago-Fernández MJ, Jaúregui-Lobera I.Lipid profile and cardiovascular risk in anorexia nervosa; the effect of nutritional treatment.Nutr Hosp.2012;27(3):908-13. doi:10.3305/nh.2012.27.3.5752Naz F, Jyoti S, Akhtar N, Afzal M, Siddique YH.Lipid profile of women using oral contraceptive pills.Pak J Biol Sci. 2012;15(19):947-50. doi:10.3923/pjbs.2012.947.950Klör HU, Weizel A, Augustin M, et al.The impact of oral vitamin A derivatives on lipid metabolism - What recommendations can be derived for dealing with this issue in the daily dermatological practice?J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2011;9(8):600-6. doi:10.1111/j.1610-0387.2011.07637.xDuarte JD, Cooper-Dehoff RM.Mechanisms for blood pressure lowering and metabolic effects of thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics.Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther.2010;8(6):793-802. doi:10.1586/erc.10.27Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing for cholesterol.American Heart Association.Saturated fat.US Preventive Services Task Force, Curry SJ, Krist AH, et al.Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions to Prevent Obesity-Related Morbidity and Mortality in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA. 2018;320(11):1163-1171. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.13022Mannu GS, Zaman MJ, Gupta A, Rehman HU, Myint PK.Evidence of lifestyle modification in the management of hypercholesterolemia.Curr Cardiol Rev. 2013;9(1):2-14. doi:10.2174/157340313805076313Barnes AS.Emerging modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women: obesity, physical activity, and sedentary behavior.Tex Heart Inst J. 2013;40(3):293-5.American Heart Association.Limiting alcohol to manage high blood pressure.Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al.2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on clinical practice guidelines.Circulation. 2019;139:e1082–e1143. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625Pokhrel B, Yuet WC, Levine SN.PCSK9 inhibitors. In: StatPearls.
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nelson RH.Hyperlipidemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.Prim Care. 2013;40(1):195-211. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2012.11.003Jakobiec FA, Ma L, Wolkow N, Sutula FC, Freitag SK.The significance of extracellular cholesterol crystals or a cholesterol granuloma in xanthelasma.Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2018;4(6):345-54. doi:10.1159/000486532Chimura Y, Daimon T, Wakabayashi I.Proneness to high blood lipid-related indices in female smokers.Lipids Health Dis.2019;18:113. doi:10.1186/s12944-019-1050-3Parhofer KG.The treatment of disorders of lipid metabolism.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2016;113(15):26108. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2016.0261Jáuregui-Garrido B, Bolaños-Ríos P, Santiago-Fernández MJ, Jaúregui-Lobera I.Lipid profile and cardiovascular risk in anorexia nervosa; the effect of nutritional treatment.Nutr Hosp.2012;27(3):908-13. doi:10.3305/nh.2012.27.3.5752Naz F, Jyoti S, Akhtar N, Afzal M, Siddique YH.Lipid profile of women using oral contraceptive pills.Pak J Biol Sci. 2012;15(19):947-50. doi:10.3923/pjbs.2012.947.950Klör HU, Weizel A, Augustin M, et al.The impact of oral vitamin A derivatives on lipid metabolism - What recommendations can be derived for dealing with this issue in the daily dermatological practice?J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2011;9(8):600-6. doi:10.1111/j.1610-0387.2011.07637.xDuarte JD, Cooper-Dehoff RM.Mechanisms for blood pressure lowering and metabolic effects of thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics.Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther.2010;8(6):793-802. doi:10.1586/erc.10.27Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing for cholesterol.American Heart Association.Saturated fat.US Preventive Services Task Force, Curry SJ, Krist AH, et al.Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions to Prevent Obesity-Related Morbidity and Mortality in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA. 2018;320(11):1163-1171. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.13022Mannu GS, Zaman MJ, Gupta A, Rehman HU, Myint PK.Evidence of lifestyle modification in the management of hypercholesterolemia.Curr Cardiol Rev. 2013;9(1):2-14. doi:10.2174/157340313805076313Barnes AS.Emerging modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women: obesity, physical activity, and sedentary behavior.Tex Heart Inst J. 2013;40(3):293-5.American Heart Association.Limiting alcohol to manage high blood pressure.Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al.2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on clinical practice guidelines.Circulation. 2019;139:e1082–e1143. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625Pokhrel B, Yuet WC, Levine SN.PCSK9 inhibitors. In: StatPearls.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Nelson RH.Hyperlipidemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.Prim Care. 2013;40(1):195-211. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2012.11.003Jakobiec FA, Ma L, Wolkow N, Sutula FC, Freitag SK.The significance of extracellular cholesterol crystals or a cholesterol granuloma in xanthelasma.Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2018;4(6):345-54. doi:10.1159/000486532Chimura Y, Daimon T, Wakabayashi I.Proneness to high blood lipid-related indices in female smokers.Lipids Health Dis.2019;18:113. doi:10.1186/s12944-019-1050-3Parhofer KG.The treatment of disorders of lipid metabolism.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2016;113(15):26108. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2016.0261Jáuregui-Garrido B, Bolaños-Ríos P, Santiago-Fernández MJ, Jaúregui-Lobera I.Lipid profile and cardiovascular risk in anorexia nervosa; the effect of nutritional treatment.Nutr Hosp.2012;27(3):908-13. doi:10.3305/nh.2012.27.3.5752Naz F, Jyoti S, Akhtar N, Afzal M, Siddique YH.Lipid profile of women using oral contraceptive pills.Pak J Biol Sci. 2012;15(19):947-50. doi:10.3923/pjbs.2012.947.950Klör HU, Weizel A, Augustin M, et al.The impact of oral vitamin A derivatives on lipid metabolism - What recommendations can be derived for dealing with this issue in the daily dermatological practice?J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2011;9(8):600-6. doi:10.1111/j.1610-0387.2011.07637.xDuarte JD, Cooper-Dehoff RM.Mechanisms for blood pressure lowering and metabolic effects of thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics.Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther.2010;8(6):793-802. doi:10.1586/erc.10.27Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing for cholesterol.American Heart Association.Saturated fat.US Preventive Services Task Force, Curry SJ, Krist AH, et al.Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions to Prevent Obesity-Related Morbidity and Mortality in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA. 2018;320(11):1163-1171. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.13022Mannu GS, Zaman MJ, Gupta A, Rehman HU, Myint PK.Evidence of lifestyle modification in the management of hypercholesterolemia.Curr Cardiol Rev. 2013;9(1):2-14. doi:10.2174/157340313805076313Barnes AS.Emerging modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women: obesity, physical activity, and sedentary behavior.Tex Heart Inst J. 2013;40(3):293-5.American Heart Association.Limiting alcohol to manage high blood pressure.Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al.2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on clinical practice guidelines.Circulation. 2019;139:e1082–e1143. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625Pokhrel B, Yuet WC, Levine SN.PCSK9 inhibitors. In: StatPearls.
Nelson RH.Hyperlipidemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.Prim Care. 2013;40(1):195-211. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2012.11.003
Jakobiec FA, Ma L, Wolkow N, Sutula FC, Freitag SK.The significance of extracellular cholesterol crystals or a cholesterol granuloma in xanthelasma.Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2018;4(6):345-54. doi:10.1159/000486532
Chimura Y, Daimon T, Wakabayashi I.Proneness to high blood lipid-related indices in female smokers.Lipids Health Dis.2019;18:113. doi:10.1186/s12944-019-1050-3
Parhofer KG.The treatment of disorders of lipid metabolism.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2016;113(15):26108. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2016.0261
Jáuregui-Garrido B, Bolaños-Ríos P, Santiago-Fernández MJ, Jaúregui-Lobera I.Lipid profile and cardiovascular risk in anorexia nervosa; the effect of nutritional treatment.Nutr Hosp.2012;27(3):908-13. doi:10.3305/nh.2012.27.3.5752
Naz F, Jyoti S, Akhtar N, Afzal M, Siddique YH.Lipid profile of women using oral contraceptive pills.Pak J Biol Sci. 2012;15(19):947-50. doi:10.3923/pjbs.2012.947.950
Klör HU, Weizel A, Augustin M, et al.The impact of oral vitamin A derivatives on lipid metabolism - What recommendations can be derived for dealing with this issue in the daily dermatological practice?J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2011;9(8):600-6. doi:10.1111/j.1610-0387.2011.07637.x
Duarte JD, Cooper-Dehoff RM.Mechanisms for blood pressure lowering and metabolic effects of thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics.Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther.2010;8(6):793-802. doi:10.1586/erc.10.27
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing for cholesterol.
American Heart Association.Saturated fat.
US Preventive Services Task Force, Curry SJ, Krist AH, et al.Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions to Prevent Obesity-Related Morbidity and Mortality in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA. 2018;320(11):1163-1171. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.13022
Mannu GS, Zaman MJ, Gupta A, Rehman HU, Myint PK.Evidence of lifestyle modification in the management of hypercholesterolemia.Curr Cardiol Rev. 2013;9(1):2-14. doi:10.2174/157340313805076313
Barnes AS.Emerging modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women: obesity, physical activity, and sedentary behavior.Tex Heart Inst J. 2013;40(3):293-5.
American Heart Association.Limiting alcohol to manage high blood pressure.
Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al.2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on clinical practice guidelines.Circulation. 2019;139:e1082–e1143. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625
Pokhrel B, Yuet WC, Levine SN.PCSK9 inhibitors. In: StatPearls.
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