Introduction
Fat metabolism disorders are diseases that lead to changes in cholesterol and triglyceride levels due to disorders in the transport, metabolism and production of fat. They are medically called dyslipidaemias. If there is a general increase in blood lipids cholesterol and triglycerides, one speaks of hyperlipidaemias. The values of the so-called blood lipids are shifted to an unfavorable ratio in such a way that the risk of numerous diseases is increased. Elevated blood lipid values do not cause any symptoms in themselves, but should be treated to prevent secondary diseases such as heart attack or stroke.
Causes
A lipometabolic disorder describes the disturbed ratio of cholesterol and triglycerides, the so-called blood fats. There are various reasons why lipometabolic disorders can occur. In the most frequent cases, an unhealthy lifestyle is present.
Fat and cholesterol-rich nutrition, for example through the excessive consumption of fatty meat, plays a role in the increase of the cholesterol level, triglycerides increase with increased alcohol consumption or a high-calorie diet. The occurrence of increased blood fats is favored by overweight. A disturbed fat metabolism can also occur with other basic diseases, for example diabetes mellitus, Cushing’s disease, cholestasis due to liver damage, hypothyroidism and nephrotic syndrome. In a few cases, a lipometabolic disorder is genetically determined and leads to increased cholesterol levels in the blood.
Diagnosis
A lipid metabolism disorder is diagnosed by blood analysis. For this purpose, the doctor takes blood samples from the patient. The patient should be fasting in the morning, i.e. not having breakfast and only drinking still water before the examination.
During the evaluation, the doctor is interested in several values to determine a lipid metabolism disorder: The total cholesterol in the blood serum, the HDL cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol and the trigylcerides. Above all the relationship of the two cholesterol values is crucial: The HDL-Cholesterin is so to speak the “good cholesterol” and should not be under 40mg/dl with men, with women not under 45mg/dl. The “bad cholesterol” is the LDL cholesterol and should not exceed values of 150 mg/dl.
As a rule of thumb, you can remember that the LDL cholesterol should not exceed three times the value of the HDL. Total cholesterol is below 240 mg/dl in healthy adults. Triglycerides should be below 200 mg/dl.
In addition to evaluating the blood results, the doctor should also clarify risks for diseases of the cardiovascular system. These include overweight, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, smoking and the patient’s family history. In addition, the physician should continue to search for diseases that could be the cause of the lipometabolic disorder if a lifestyle-related illness can be ruled out.
Here, special attention should be paid to the liver, thyroid gland, kidney and pancreas. A diagnosed lipid metabolism disorder must be treated even if there are no symptoms, as it can lead to serious consequential damage. This includes atherosclerosis, i.e. the narrowing of blood vessels. The vessels of the heart are particularly affected. Strokes also occur frequently.
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