Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is made by the liver to build cells, produce hormones, and make vitamin D. Although many believe that cholesterol poses health risks, it is actually required by the body to function properly.
The key is to maintain a healthy cholesterol ratio. Clinical intervention becomes a necessity when the bad cholesterol percentage increases. Dr. Rajesh Nanda offers the best high cholesterol treatment in Siliguri with more than 2 decades of experience in managing cardiovascular conditions.
Knowing the different types of cholesterol can help you protect your heart by managing good and bad cholesterol levels. This is because proper cholesterol management maintains proper blood flow and lowers the risk of heart attacks. Here are the different types of cholesterol:
This is also known as the "good cholesterol" that clears extra cholesterol from your blood and lowers heart disease risk.
This is also known as the "bad cholesterol" because higher levels of this cholesterol can cause plaque buildup in your arteries.
This type of bad cholesterol carries triglycerides to your body's tissues. Higher levels of VLDL can cause heart attacks through plaque buildup in your arteries.
This is a transitional cholesterol formed when very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) lose their fats before converting into low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
The term high cholesterol refers to a condition where excess low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles deposit into your blood vessel walls and form plaques over time. By knowing the reasons why high cholesterol is dangerous, you can seek early medical intervention and prevent serious cardiac complications. Here are the major factors that make high cholesterol dangerous:
When your arterial walls narrow and harden due to plaque buildup, the heart is forced to pump harder. This causes a significant rise in blood pressure.
Plaque accumulation can form a sudden blood clot, which in turn cuts off oxygen supply to the heart.
The blood flow to your heart gets restricted due to plaque buildup in the arteries, which triggers chest pain and shortness of breath.
A moving blood clot or a piece of plaque can completely block a blood vessel leading to your brain. This increases the risk of ischemic stroke.
Due to high cholesterol, the arteries tend to narrow in the limbs, primarily in the legs. This can lead to poor wound healing, cramps, and pain.
Long-term plaque buildup forces the heart to work harder, gradually weakening the heart muscle and reducing its ability to pump blood efficiently.
High cholesterol is primarily associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, underlying health conditions, and specific genetic traits. Knowing the causes of high cholesterol can help you identify the root causes and accordingly address them. As part of offering the best high cholesterol treatment in Siliguri, Dr. Rajesh Nanda wants to spread preventive education as well.
Here are the most common causes of high cholesterol:
Tobacco use introduces specific chemicals into your body, which damage blood vessel walls and significantly lower HDL levels.
Consuming foods with high saturated fat content and trans fats makes the liver produce excessive LDL (bad cholesterol).
Chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, kidney diseases, and hypothyroidism, tend to disrupt metabolism and trigger bad cholesterol production.
A sedentary lifestyle with a lack of exercise significantly drops your HDL (good cholesterol) levels.
With age, your body loses its natural ability to remove LDL. On the other hand, the female body often experiences a rise in bad cholesterol after menopause.
Prescription drugs, including beta-blockers, diuretics, steroids, and immunosuppressants, can affect cholesterol levels.
High cholesterol is generally termed a “silent killer” because it does not cause any noticeable direct symptoms of its own. When high cholesterol is left untreated for years, it can lead to a massive buildup of fatty plaque inside your arteries. Here are the common symptoms of bad cholesterol that require immediate medical attention:
Narrowed heart blood vessels slow down blood and oxygen flow to the heart. This causes a tight, squeezing pain in your chest when you do hard work or feel stressed.
This is caused by clogged pathways, which makes it difficult for your heart to pump blood. Shortness of breath is especially encountered during physical exercise or walking.
Since restricted blood flow hampers the ability of your vital organs to receive adequate oxygen, you may feel tired or weak persistently even during minimal activities.
Due to peripheral artery disease, painful muscle cramping, numbness, and cold feet are commonly experienced.
Due to heavy cholesterol deposits, a white, blue, or gray ring can develop around the iris of the eye.
Restricted blood circulation to the brain due to plaque buildup in the arteries can cause brief spells of dizziness.
High cholesterol is a condition that should not be taken lightly because it can completely block blood flow to your heart and cause sudden life-threatening emergencies. With more than 2 decades of experience in cardiology treatment and care, Dr. Rajesh Nanda effectively combines advanced interventional expertise with a compassionate, patient-first approach.
Here are the top reasons to choose him for high cholesterol treatment in Siliguri:
He has completed MBBS, MD, and DNB (Cardiology) from prestigious institutions in India.
He is the lead cardiology consultant at Maxwell Hospital, which has highly advanced diagnostic facilities and modular operation theatres.
He strongly focuses on preventive cardiology and Cardiac Risk Assessments, which are immensely effective for detecting silent buildup of plaque.
He has high-level expertise in Interventional Cardiology (including angiography and angioplasty), which allows him to treat advanced arterial blockages caused by long-term high cholesterol.
He does not follow a “one-size-fits-all” approach and customizes treatment based on the levels of bad cholesterol.
As an active member of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), he follows the latest international guidelines and evidence-based practices to deliver safe, high-quality cardiovascular care.