Do you watch your cholesterol level? Is it too high? In both Rockville and Olney, your cardiologist, Dr. Leith Abdulla, monitors his patients' cholesterol levels for better heart health and avoidance of complications. Read on to learn more about this important measure of systemic wellness and how you can manage it!

What is cholesterol?

A substance that your body manufactures naturally, cholesterol helps you make hormones, such as estrogen, and also digest and use the fats you consume in your daily diet. At appropriate levels, as measured by a simple blood test, cholesterol helps your body run properly. At levels that are too high, however, cholesterol poses a risk of serious health problems.

Get tested for high cholesterol

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta states that 95 million American adults over the age of 20 have high levels of cholesterol. As such, it's recommended that adults be screened with a simple blood test from their primary care physician or a cardiologist such as Dr. Abdulla.

Why routine screening?

Unfortunately, high cholesterol levels in patients pose many health risks such as:

• Atheroschlerosis (hardening of the arteries)
• Blood clots
• Angina (chest pain due to narrowed coronary arteries)
• Aneurysm (a blood vessel at risk for rupture)
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Cardiovascular disease

The chances for developing these conditions rise when high cholesterol levels combine with factors such as:

• Heredity (High cholesterol can run in families)
• Diabetes
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity
• Diet high in animal fats
• Alcohol abuse
• Tobacco usage (smoking)
• Age
• Gender (Men tend to have higher cholesterol levels)

What you can do with high cholesterol?

Your blood test measures HDL, or good cholesterol, LDL, or bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. To improve your numbers, Dr. Abdulla may ask you to take cholesterol-lowering medications or statins. Additionally, his high cholesterol patients respond well to common-sense lifestyle changes. For you, these may include:

• A program of regular exercise (Simple walking is helpful)
• A low-fat diet with added fiber, fruits, and vegetables
• Maintenance of healthy weight, blood sugars, and blood pressure
• Lowering alcohol usage
• Smoking cessation

Don't struggle anymore

Let Dr. Leitha Abdulla and his team in Rockville and Olney, MD, help you with your cholesterol levels. Call either location for a consultation—for Rockville, phone (301) 881-5858, or for the Olney location, call (301) 774-5260.