High cholesterol

• Can I talk to a doctor on Gotodoctor.ca about my high cholesterol?

Yes, Gotodoctor.ca provides virtual care services for high blood cholesterol levels. A doctor will take a comprehensive in-depth history and may provide you with prescriptions. Depending on the severity of symptoms further recommendations will be provided. If a patient is suffering from hypercholesterolemia and has risk factors for CVDs, the doctor will direct him/her to clinic treatment.

• What is high cholesterol?

High cholesterol in the bloodstream indicates the deposition of low-density lipoproteins in the vessels and low levels of high-density lipoproteins^[1]. Familial hypercholesterolemia is one of the most common types which is an inherited condition. High cholesterol levels in blood put you at risk of developing plaques in the blood vessels, narrowing the lumen of blood vessels with the accumulation of fat deposits around their boundaries and blocking the pathways to normal circulation^[2]. High cholesterol put you at risk of stroke, heart attacks, high blood pressure leading to hypertension, obesity and other serious heart conditions which can prove fatal for life^[3]. Sedentary lifestyle with poor dietary habits and certain genetic factors contribute towards developing hypercholesterolemia^[4][5].

• What are the symptoms of high cholesterol?

Symptoms and signs of high blood cholesterol include fatigue, shortness of breath, angina, chest pain, numbness in peripheral extremities and nausea^[6]. A doctor will be able to diagnose high cholesterol levels by performing a lipid profile and identifying characteristic symptoms^{[7, 8]}. High blood cholesterol levels result from consuming saturated fats which are found in meat, beef, commercially prepared dairy products, bakery items that contain an immense amount of trans-fat, margarine and processed foods items^[9][10].

• How is high cholesterol treated?

A doctor decides on treatment after taking a comprehensive history of the patient. Dietary and lifestyle modifications may be done at initial stages. If lipid levels cannot be controlled then statins may be prescribed. Statins controls the levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels in the body^{[11-13] [14, 15]}.

• How can an online doctor on Gotodoctor.ca treat high cholesterol?

Online doctors on Gotodoctor.ca treat high cholesterol through virtual care services. An appointment can be easily made with an online doctor. High cholesterol levels can be treated via virtual care methods^{[7, 14-21]}. A doctor is able to interpret lipid profile reports. An online doctor will take a comprehensive history of your signs and symptoms and may provide you with prescriptions. Prescriptions can be obtained by online doctors. Virtual care services provided by Gotodoctor.ca assure comfort, convenience and a higher level of care for the patient.

References

1. Steinberg, D., et al., Beyond cholesterol. New England Journal of Medicine, 1989. 320(14): p. 915-924.
2. Castelli, W.P. and K. Anderson, A population at risk: prevalence of high cholesterol levels in hypertensive patients in the Framingham Study. The American journal of medicine, 1986. 80(2): p. 23-32.
3. Montori, V.M., J.P. Brito, and H.H. Ting, Patient-centered and practical application of new high cholesterol guidelines to prevent cardiovascular disease. JAMA, 2014. 311(5): p. 465-466.
4. Sampson, U.K., S. Fazio, and M.F. Linton, Residual cardiovascular risk despite optimal LDL cholesterol reduction with statins: the evidence, aetiology, and therapeutic challenges. Current atherosclerosis reports, 2012. 14(1): p. 1-10.
5. Ravnskov, U., Is atherosclerosis caused by high cholesterol? Qjm, 2002. 95(6): p. 397-403.
6. Kaplan, S., l. Novikov, and B. Modan, Nutritional factors in the etiology of brain tumors potential role of nitrosamines, fat, and cholesterol. American journal of epidemiology, 1997. 146(10): p. 832-841.
7. Eaton, L.H., et al., Development and implementation of a telehealth-enhanced intervention for pain and symptom management. Contemporary clinical trials, 2014. 38(2): p. 213-220.
8. Staub, G.M., J. von Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: a comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110-110.
9. McNamara, D.J., Dietary cholesterol and atherosclerosis. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, 2000. 1529(1-3): p. 310-320.
10. Craig, S.R., et al., Blood cholesterol screening. Journal of general internal medicine, 2000. 15(6): p. 395-399.
11. Ridker, P.M., S. Mora, and L. Rose, Percent reduction in LDL cholesterol following high-intensity statin therapy: potential implications for guidelines and for the prescription of emerging lipid-lowering agents. European heart journal, 2016. 37(17): p. 1373-1379.
12. Gu, Q., Prescription cholesterol lowering medication use in adults aged 40 and over: United States, 2003-2012. 2014: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and ….
13. Dashti, H.M., et al., Long term effects of ketogenic diet in obese subjects with high cholesterol level. Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 2006. 286(1): p. 1-9.
14. Almathami, H.K.Y., K.T. Win, and E. Vlahu-Gjorgievska, Barriers and Facilitators That Influence Telemedicine-Based, Real-Time, Online Consultation at Patients’ Homes: Systematic Literature Review. J Med Internet Res, 2020. 22(2): p. e16407.
15. Deldar, K., K. Bahaadinbeigy, and S.M. Tara, Teleconsultation and Clinical Decision Making: a Systematic Review. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 2016. 24(4): p. 286-292.
16. Gunasekeran, D.V., et al., Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Follow-up for Patients With Abdominal Pain Using Video Consultation (SAVED Study): Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 2020. 22(6): p. e17417-e17417.
17. Myers, D.R., et al., Towards remote assessment and screening of acute abdominal pain using only a smartphone with native accelerometers. Scientific Reports, 2017. 7(1): p. 12750.
18. Staub, G., J. Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: A comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110.
19. Bokolo Anthony, J., Use of Telemedicine and Virtual Care for Remote Treatment in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Medical Systems, 2020. 44(7): p. 132.
20. Wang, X., et al., Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Service System Considering Patients’ Choice. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2019. 2019: p. 7642176.
21. Williams, O.E., et al., The use of telemedicine to enhance secondary care: some lessons from the front line. Future healthcare journal, 2017. 4(2): p. 109-114.
22. Vaghef-Davari, F., et al., Approach to Acute Abdominal Pain: Practical Algorithms. Advanced journal of emergency medicine, 2019. 4(2): p. e29-e29.