Definition of hypercholesterolemia Hypercholesterolemia

hy•per•cho•les•ter•ol•e•mi•a

We found 3 definitions of hypercholesterolemia from 3 different sources.

What does hypercholesterolemia mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: hypercholesterolemias
hypercholesterolemia - the presence of an abnormal amount of cholesterol in the cells and plasma of the blood; associated with the risk of atherosclerosis
		hypercholesteremia
		symptom anything that accompanies X and is regarded as an indication of X's existence

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Wiktionary

hypercholesterolemia (Noun)
An excess of cholesterol in the blood.

Wikipedia

Hypercholesterolemia means that the cholesterol level is too high in the blood.

Cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a molecule that is found in cells. It is a type of lipid which is a fat or fat-like molecule. Cholesterol is a special type of lipid that is called a steroid. Steroids are lipids that have a special chemical structure. This structure is made of four rings of carbon atoms.

Other steroids include hormone steroids like cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone. In fact, all steroid hormones are made from changing the basic chemical structure of cholesterol. When scientists talk about making one molecule from changing simpler ones, they sometimes call it "synthesis".

Where does it come from?

Cholesterol is usually found in the walls of cells. It is "only" found in animals. Plants do not synthesize cholesterol. So the cholesterol in the food people eat can only come from eating food from animals. But even vegans who eat "only" plant foods can have cholesterol. This is because "most" of the cholesterol that is in our bodies is synthesized "by" our bodies.

What does it do?

Cholesterol does many important jobs in a cell. Cholesterols main function is as a structural component of cell membranes. It is also the starting material for bile acids that are made by the liver and used to digest fats, and for steriod hormones. However, it is best known for something bad that it does. High levels of cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis. This is an inflammatory disease of artery walls in wh