Nursing

Directions: 

Hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol levels in the blood) is associated with various cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Research how hypercholesterolemia develops, as well as its complications.

Initial Post

A common treatment for hypercholesterolemia is a class of drugs called statins. In your post, address the following questions:

• Are statins the best course of treatment for hypercholesterolemia in adults? Why or why not?
• Should they be prescribed to adults with hypercholesterolemia with no evidence of heart disease?
• Should teenagers be prescribed statins if they are diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia? Why or why not?
• Is there a better solution for these situations?

Be sure to support your positions with APA formatted in-text citations and references from a credible resource.

Reply Post

In your reply post, consider a peer’s perspective, and share how your research and experiences either further support your peer’s perspective, or offer alternatives to your peer’s perspective. Support your position with at least one credible resource, as well as your own experiences. You may use the same resource as you used to support your initial post.

ANSWER

Post Response

The prevalence of obesity has been on the rise in the last decade.  I agree with Habsa that there is a relationship between gut microbiota and obesity.  Obesity has been a significant health issue due to its effect on cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.  Many studies have shown the role of gut microbiota in obesity development.  Gut microbiota influences energy extraction from food, immune response, lipid metabolism and endocrine functions (Angelakis et al., 2021).  I concur with Habsa’s argument that our food habits have impacted the structure of the gut microbiome and that the dietary changes have altered the gut microbial structure.  The gut microbiome consists of many fungi, bacteria and other microbes, which plays an essential role in health.  Therefore, it’s important to balance the gut microbiome since it plays an essential role in alleviating and preventing obesity.  Probiotics are also essential in reducing health issues’ risk factors by lowering triglycerides, insulin and cholesterol levels.

I agree with Courtney that there are many options available to treat hypercholesterolemia, but the treatment depends on the individual.  Statins are used as the initial treatment since they are the most effective lipid-lowering treatment for most patients with hypercholesterolemia.  They reduce the blood level of cholesterol though raising the high infinity receptors.  Most of the side effects leave the body once it adopts the medication.  High cholesterol is linked with high cardiovascular disease, which is linked to hypercholesterolemia 9Jalili et al., 2019).  Teenagers can only be prescribed statins if they have a genetic condition and high LDL cholesterol levels.  I agree with Courtney that a healthy lifestyle is better option prevention of hypercholesterolemia.  High cholesterol can be a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices.  I concur with Courtney that adequate exercise and healthy eating are key to lowering cholesterol.  Health lifestyle and aerobic exercise will lower the cholesterol level, thus a better option for treating hypercholesterolemia.

References

Angelakis, E., Armougom, F., Million, M., & Raoult, D. (2012). The relationship between gut microbiota and weight gain in humans.  Future microbiology, 7(1), 91-109.

Jalili, T., Mah, E., Medeiros, D. M., & Wildman, R. E. (2019). Dietary fibre and coronary heart disease.  In Handbook of nutraceuticals and functional foods (pp. 173-188).  CRC Press.