High Cholesterol

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Causes and Risk Factors

Most of the cholesterol that circulates in the bloodstream is LDL ("bad") cholesterol. High LDL levels may result from a combination of the following risk factors:

Age (over age 45 in men and age 55 in women)
Certain medications (e.g., some diuretics, immunosuppressants, and corticosteroids)
Cigarette smoking
Diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypothyroidism)
Gender (after menopause, women's LDL levels tend to rise)
Genetic predisposition (i.e., family history of early...Read the full article