Low density lipoprotein (LDL –
bad cholesterol) is a type of lipoprotein that transports cholesterol
and triglycerides from the liver to peripheral tissues.
This
lipoprotein, LDL helps fats and cholesterol to travel within the water
based solution of the blood stream. In the cholesterol blood test, high
levels of LDL cholesterol can signal medical problems like
cardiovascular disease, it is otherwise called as bad cholesterol.
Medical consideration for LDL bad cholesterol
LDL
transport cholesterol to the arteries and can be held there by arterial
proteoglycans causing the formation of plaques, increased levels are
associated with atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries), and causes
heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. For this reason,
cholesterol packed inside LDL lipoproteins is often referred as "bad"
cholesterol. The cholesterol itself is not bad; but how and where the
cholesterol is being transported, and in what amounts over time, that
causes adverse effects.
The healthiest LDL structure is
relatively rare, have less numbers of larger LDL particles. Having
smaller LDL particles is common, but is an unhealthy structure.
A hereditary form of high LDL is familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).
LDL cholesterol ranges in blood
- Less than 100 mg/dL or 2.6 mmol/L, Optimal or required LDL level.
- 100 to 129 mg/dL or 2.6 to 3.3 mmol/L, Near optimal LDL level.
- 130 to 159 mg/dL or 3.3 to 4.1 mmol/L, Borderline high LDL level.
- 160 to 189 mg/dL or 4.1 to 4.9 mmol/L, High LDL level.
- Greater than 190 mg/dL or 4.9 mmol/L, Very high LDL, highest heart risk.
