Cholesterol Lowering Medications

Cholesterol Drugs Slideshow

• What Is Cholesterol?
• Medical Treatment
• Statins
• Bile Acid Sequestrants
• Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors
• Nicotinic Acid Agents
• Fibrates
• For More Information
• Web Links
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors

What Is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that your body needs to function normally. Cholesterol is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.

Your body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help digest fat. The cholesterol in your blood comes from 2 sources: the foods you eat and your liver. However, your liver makes enough cholesterol to satisfy your body’s needs. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs. If you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coronary (heart) arteries, where it contributes to the narrowing and blockages that cause the signs and symptoms of heart disease.

What causes high cholesterol?

Several drugs and diseases can bring about high cholesterol, but for most people, a high-fat diet, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, or inherited risk factors are the main causes.

Risks of high cholesterol

If you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, which leads to atherosclerosis (commonly called hardening of the arteries). Atherosclerosis may contribute to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, blood clots, or impotence.