High Lipids: You cannot see them or feel them. The lipids can only be measured by a blood assay. If they are above desirable levels you can be at high risk to develop heart disease, stroke and obesity to name a few.
Besides traditional lipids it is important before advocating secondary prevention to go into detailed family history of the patient, to identify familial hypercholestrolaemia or types of hyperlipidaemia involved.
Also, certain other assays like Lp(a) LDL subfraction, Homocysteine etc. may be required. Hyperlipidaemia with coronary artery disease must be also identified for associated diseases.
This is the latest method of treating prostate enlargement. This technique uses KTP laser, which has property of vaporization of tissue without causing bleeding. More than 100 operations have been done successfully with good results. This is practically bloodless operation, and can be done on patients who are on anticoagulant therapy i.e. patients on aspirin, clopidogrel, acitrom etc. It can be done on day care basis i.e. patient can be discharged same day without any catheter.
Atherosclerotic progression must be minimised.
High lipids lead to blockage of arteries at an early stage in life. This is fairly well known in educated populations. How many know that hyperlipidaemia (high lipids) can be an underlying pathology in surgical diseases?
Hyperlipidaemia with atherosclerotic lesions can cause organ involvement like in pancreatitis, renal failure or gall stones. The interesting fact is that many gall stones are made up of cholesterol.
Carotid artery occlusion manifests itself by transient ischaemic attacks i.e. temporary weakness of limb or loss of speech for a few brief seconds etc. The main pathology again is atherosclerosis or blockage of artery due to narrowing of carotid artery by plaques rich in cholesterol deposits.
The problem of high lipids, never gets addressed in these cases unless they are fully blown and under the surgical knife. Why is this? It is because very few people during their younger age or middle age get a lipid profile done. They only get it done when they run into trouble.
As there is no baseline for lipids so even when one gets it done one does not realise that there has been an increase in the parameters. The normal profile according to National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) should be:
If moderately increased consult your doctor or lipid clinic for change in lifestyle and medication if required. To avoid surgical diseases like pancreatitis, carotid occlusion or deep vein thrombosis it is important we narrow the disease gap by primary prevention.
Free Camps -Every year Hyperlipidemia Prevention Clinic organises free camps.
On the occasion of completing 10 years of existence, the Hyperlipidemia Prevention Clinic organised a free consultation, examination and investigation camp on the 1st April 2010 in the premises of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. All the patients registering in the camp underwent free blood sugar and lipid tests and offered free consultancy regarding high lipids and associated diseases by Dr. Anjali Arora on the spot.