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What are the side effects of high (bad) cholesterol ?
Mar 6, 2013

Dr. Georges Choueiri Cardiology
Bad cholesterol is called Ldl cholsterol. It promotes atherosclerosis which is artery stiffness that causes finally partial to complete artery occlusion.
Ldl cholesterol is most hamful when it gets oxydized.
Young people and elderly don't oxydize too much so the danger of ldl cholesterol is J shaped with most danger between 40 and 70 years old.
So the best estimation of the danger of cholesterol, according to several studies is to divide total cholesterol over Hdl cholesterol. This ratio must be under 4.95 in men and 4.44 in women.
I personnaly expect new studies to establish normal ratio in men and women according to their age.
I mean a young man whose ratio is at 4.95 is more exposed than an elderly with this same ratio.
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Dr. Nagi Azzi Cardiology
Side effects is an optimist way to see the problem. In fact the proper term would be "deleterious effect" as the bad or the LDL cholesterol is responsible of much of the hospitalisations for heart attacks and strokes. And you know these diseases are the number 1 and 2 causes for mortality nowadays. LDL has to be reduced as much as the clinical picture dictates it. This goes from reducing it with diet and/or drugs to less that 160mg/dl for the young patient with no other risk factor to less than 70mg/dl for the adult or elderly who sustained a recent heart attack.
So this problem is very serious, has to be managed by experienced doctors because both length and quality of life depend on it...
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Dr. Salim Saab Otolaryngology (ENT)
The effect of high cholesterol, especially LDL is blood vessel obstruction and peripheral vascular disease, heart attack, stroke.
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