hypocholesterolemia
Sign in to saveAlso known as hypocholesterolaemia, cholesterol depletion
Hypocholesterolemia is the presence of abnormally low (hypo-) levels of cholesterol in the blood (-emia). A defect in the body's production of cholesterol can lead to adverse consequences as well. Cholesterol is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes and is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. It is not clear if a lower than average cholesterol level is directly harmful; however, it is often encountered in particular illnesses.
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
10 sectionsContents
- Presentation
- Role in disease
- Specific disease entities
- Elderly
- Critical illness
- Causes
- Diagnosis
- Classification
- References
- External links
Hypocholesterolemia is the presence of abnormally low (hypo-) levels of cholesterol in the blood (-emia). A defect in the body's production of cholesterol can lead to adverse consequences as well. Cholesterol is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes and is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. It is not clear if a lower than average cholesterol level is directly harmful; however, it is often encountered in particular illnesses.
==Presentation== ===Role in disease=== thumb|Cholesterolemia and mortality for men and women 60 years With the increased use of medication to suppress cholesterol, some have expressed concern that lowering cholesterol levels excessively will itself cause disease.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “hypocholesterolemia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.