Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Type II hyperlipoproteinemia; Hypercholesterolemic xanthomatosis; Low density lipoprotein receptor mutation
Treatment
The goal of treatment is to reduce the risk of
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
The first step is to change what you eat. This is tried for several months before drug therapy is added. Diet changes include reducing total fat intake to less than 30% of the total calories you eat.
You can reduce your saturated fat intake by:
- Decreasing amounts of beef, chicken, pork, and lamb
- Substituting low-fat dairy products for full-fat ones
- Eliminating coconut and palm oils
You can reduce your the amount of cholesterol you eat by eliminating egg yolks and organ meats.
Dietary counseling is often recommended to help people make these adjustments to their eating habits. Weight loss and regular exercise may also aid in lowering cholesterol levels.
See also:
MEDICATIONS
If lifestyle changes do not change your cholesterol levels, your doctor may recommend medication. There are several types of drugs available to help lower blood cholesterol levels, and they work in different ways. Some are better at lowering LDL cholesterol, some are good at lowering triglycerides, while others help raise HDL cholesterol.
The most commonly used and effective drugs for treating high LDL cholesterol are called statins. The include lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), simvastatin (Zocor), fluvastatin (Lescol), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and rosuvastatin (Crestor).
Other cholesterol-lowering medicines include:
Previous Section
Review Date: 05/23/2010
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and David
C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General
Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School
of Medicine.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
