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High blood cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) is the best known of all the many threats to a healthy heart. When excess amounts of this waxy, fat-like substance build up along the walls of the arteries, you face a higher risk of a complete blockage, leading to a heart attack or stroke. There are two major types of lipoproteins, the low density lipoproteins (LDL) commonly known as “bad” cholesterol, and the high density lipoproteins (HDL) usually called “good” cholesterol and its is the ‘bad” LDL cholesterol that tends to form deposits on the artery walls. HDLs help to clear excess cholesterol from the bloodstream. High blood cholesterol is largely preventable. A healthy diet, regular exercise and other lifestyle changes can go a long way toward reducing high cholesterol.
This study estimates the burden of disease attributable to high cholesterol in adults 30 years and older in South Africa in 2000 using the comparative risk assessment methodology developed by the WHO. View the results. (pdf format, 344 kb) |
