Hypercholesterolemia (excessive body production of cholesterol) affects millions of people worldwide, rendering afflicted persons susceptible to developing serious conditions such as coronary disease and atherosclerosis. Although it is commonly known to be the consequence of inappropriate diet, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, hypercholesterolemia sometimes defies stereotypes, affecting people who don’t fit the average profiles. Sometimes hypercholesterolemia is neither the result of diet nor imbalanced lifestyle, having a pronounced intrinsic character instead.

In certain categories of people, high blood cholesterol levels are the consequence of genetically-inherited physiological dysfunctions which lead to either overproduction of cholesterol inside the organism or under-excretion of the substance from the body. Regardless of their efforts, people who suffer from inherited hypercholesterolemia are unable to maintain normal cholesterol values. Even statins or other commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering medications that work well for most people with abnormal cholesterol levels fail to produce satisfactory results among people with inherited hypercholesterolemia. Due to low responsiveness to existent medications and therapies, people who suffer from inherited hypercholesterolemia eventually develop heart disease and other serious conditions associated with high blood cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver and used inside the body for various physiological purposes. Cholesterol has an important role in cellular activity, protecting blood cells from damage by covering their superficial membranes. In addition, cholesterol is used inside the body for producing hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. Despite its beneficial merits inside the organism, cholesterol can also cause a lot of harm when it accumulates in large amounts and deposits inside arteries, obstructing normal blood flow and preventing the irrigation of internal organs. When it deposits inside coronary arteries, cholesterol dramatically increases the risk for heart-attack, hypercholesterolemia being renowned as one of the leading risk factors for heart failure. Hypercholesterolemia also leads to atherosclerosis and various other serious conditions.

There are three major distinctive types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). High-density lipoprotein is known as “good cholesterol”, while low-density lipoprotein is considered to be “bad cholesterol”. LDL is the type of cholesterol responsible for interfering with normal blood circulation by sticking to artery walls and causing the formation of a hard plaque. Although it is considered to be less dangerous, VLDL is also a risk factor for heart disease, as it can eventually become LDL. By contrast, HDL (good cholesterol) neutralizes the harmful effects of LDL and VLDL by mixing with these substances and taking them back to the liver, where they are broken down.

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