'Sticky' cholesterol and hypertension may increase heart attack, stroke risk
'Sticky' cholesterol and hypertension may increase heart attack, stroke risk
ISLAMABAD, (Online) - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally. Key CVD risk markers include raised blood pressure — also known as hypertension — blood glucose, and cholesterol levels.
Studies show that high blood pressure alone may account for 25% of coronary heart disease and 36% of strokes.
Other research suggests that hypertension, along with smoking, leads to more CVD deaths than risk factors including obesity, physical inactivity, and dyslipidemia — an imbalance of cholesterol levels.
Studies also suggests that together, hypertension and dyslipidemia triple CVD risk. Understanding more about this link could improve treatment options for CVD-related conditions.
Recently, researchers assessed the link between hypertension and a particular type of cholesterol – Lp(a), for short — levels on CVD risk.
“We found that among people with hypertension who have never experienced a stroke or heart attack before, lipoprotein(a) seems to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and risk of a major cardiovascular event like heart attack or stroke,” says lead study author Dr. Rishi Rikhi, a cardiovascular medicine fellow at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The study appeared in the journal Hypertension.
Cholesterol levels
Lipoproteins consist of protein and fat and carry cholesterol through the blood. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is known as “good cholesterol,” as it absorbs cholesterol in the blood and carries it to the liver from where the body can dispose of it.
Low-density cholesterol (LDL) carries cholesterol to cells and is known as “bad” cholesterol. Lp(a) is a type of LDL that builds up along the walls of blood vessels and increases a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke.
Heart UK: The Cholesterol Charity, describes Lp(a) as large and “sticky,” and involved in the blood’s clotting system.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 6,674 individuals who took part in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).
Participants had an average age of 62 years old and were from diverse backgrounds:
• 38.6% were white
• 11.9% were Chinese American
• 27.5% were Black
• 22.1% were Hispanic.
