Cholesterol is a waxy substance in your blood. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs, mainly in your liver. But it is also found in foods from animals, such as meat, fish, milk, and eggs. It is a waxy fat that travels through your blood in small fat/protein bundles called lipoproteins.
There are two main types: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
- LDL is the type of cholesterol often referred to as “bad” cholesterol. That’s because when we have too much cholesterol in our blood, it can build up on the walls of our arteries, along with other fats and blood cells, and form plaque. Plaque buildup (a process called atherosclerosis) reduces blood flow and increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other vascular diseases.
- HDL, the “good” cholesterol, collects “bad” cholesterol and plaque and takes it back to the liver for removal. Hypercholesterolemia is a sudden increase in the cholesterol levels in your blood. Your blood cholesterol is affected by many factors and medical conditions, and any of them can cause your cholesterol levels to change.
Factors that can lead to a sudden increase in cholesterol
Include 4 factors main:
1. Smoking
Smoking can damage your arteries and speed up the buildup of plaque in your blood vessels by reducing your body’s ability to remove cholesterol. Avoiding smoking can help your HDL function properly and reduce the risk of LDL buildup.
2. High Coffee Intake
High coffee intake can significantly increase triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Research shows that high coffee intake can increase your risk of heart problems and dyslipidemia, when your blood fat levels are too high or too low.
3. Medications
Many medications can also cause a sudden increase in cholesterol levels. Examples: anticonvulsants, antivirals, diuretics, immunosuppressants, etc.
4. Pregnancy
Hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, such as increased estrogen and progesterone, can cause a sudden increase in cholesterol. Although the body needs these changes to facilitate fetal growth and development, extremely high cholesterol levels can be linked to complications such as premature birth or a large newborn.
What to do when your cholesterol levels spike
Your doctor may recommend medical treatments for a sudden increase in cholesterol. You can use the following cholesterol-lowering medications:
- Statins: These medications slow the body’s production of cholesterol and help the liver remove LDL cholesterol from the blood.
- Bile acid sequestrants: These medications help remove cholesterol by removing bile acids, a substance found in LDL cholesterol.
- Niacin or nicotinic acid: This increases HDL cholesterol while lowering total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides.
- Fibrates: This drug lowers triglycerides through several mechanisms and may also increase the ability to remove LDL particles.
- Injectable medications such as PCSK9 inhibitors: This drug lowers LDL levels by targeting LDL receptors. Your doctor may recommend this treatment for specific underlying medical conditions, such as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). This is a genetic condition that causes very high LDL cholesterol levels.
Additional treatments may vary depending on the underlying cause. For example, if a medication you are taking is causing your cholesterol to rise, your doctor may adjust your dosage or suggest an alternative medication.
