Understanding High Cholesterol

Understanding high cholesterol is the first step toward protecting your heart and making informed lifestyle choices. Unlike many diseases, there are no symptoms with high cholesterol, so many people don’t know their cholesterol is too high. However, all it requires is a simple blood test to diagnose (also called a lipid panel).

Dr. Nancy Creech, SVP of Clinical Operations at Summus, shares tips on risk factors for high cholesterol, understanding what your results may mean, and strategies for managing high cholesterol. 

Risk Factors
Lifestyle, certain diseases, and family history can all affect your risk of high cholesterol. Lifestyle factors such as eating a diet high in trans and saturated fats, low physical activity, and smoking are all contributors to high cholesterol but luckily making some healthy changes can decrease this risk. Diseases such as diabetes, obesity and a family history of high cholesterol are risk factors that are important to be aware of so you have the appropriate screening for high cholesterol by your doctor. 

Understand Your Results
Having a total cholesterol above 200 is considered “high cholesterol”. Your total cholesterol is made up by:

- LDL (low density lipoprotein): “Bad cholesterol” because high levels can cause build-up of plaque in your arteries leading to diseases like heart attacks and strokes.
- HDL (high density lipoprotein): “Good cholesterol” because high levels can lower risk of diseases.
- Triglycerides: A type of fat in your blood that when combined with high LDL or low HDL can increase risk diseases.

Treatment Options
It is often treated with a combination of lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, smoking cessation) and medication. The treatment plan will be recommended by your doctor based on your blood cholesterol levels, age, and history of heart disease or stroke.

Seeking Support
If you’re worried about high cholesterol, or aren’t sure where to begin, Summus is here to make the next step simple. We will connect you with a trusted doctor who will listen to your concerns, explain your lab results in clear terms, and recommend a plan tailored to your health needs. If you need to arrange an in-person visit, we’ll help you find an in-network provider nearby who can handle your testing and ongoing care.

No matter where you are on your journey, we’re here to guide and support you every step of the way.