Does High Cholesterol Cause Heart Attacks

Updated on 27 Jul 2010,
Published on 27 Jul 2010

Role of Cholesterol Levels in Causing Heart Attacks

Of all the factors that are responsible of causing heart attack, high blood cholesterol is one such condition that increases your chances of getting the heart disease. It has been found that the higher the cholesterol, the higher are the chances of suffering from heart diseases. According to the results of a study conducted by the Framingham Heart study, it was found that coronary heart disease is not very common among those who have cholesterol levels below 150 milligrams per deciliter. The Lipid Research Clinics - Coronary Primary Prevention Trial (1984) have confirmed a direct connection between high blood cholesterol and CHD.

Cholesterol is necessary for the body as it helps in building new cells, insulate nerves and produce hormones. Yet too much of cholesterol in the blood leads to the deposition of fat like substance in the walls of the arteries which tend to harden the arteries and block the path of the blood flowing to the heart. This as a result may lead to chest pain and congestion as there is no sufficient supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. And if by any chance the blood supply is completely cut off then the result is a heart attack. The process that is being caused due to high cholesterol is referred to as atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease.

LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) and HDL (High Density Lipoprotein)

There are specifically two types of cholesterol that most people are familiar with. One is the LDL which means Low Density Lipoprotein and HDL which means High Density Lipoprotein. HDL is considered to be good cholesterol as it has high protein and low cholesterol. LDL is the main culprit that causes the clogging of the arteries. As far as the symptoms of high blood cholesterol are concerned, there are no such symptoms that cholesterol manifests and thus most of the people are unaware of the fact their cholesterol level is high. Thus the only way to find out is to find out the number of cholesterol. This will be helpful in controlling your cholesterol levels and to prevent heart attacks and deaths.