Now that you have learned more about the relationship between blood lipids and health, you might want to think more about James, the little boy who was featured in this chapter’s Everybody Has a Story piece. Why was James’s physician so concerned about his elevated blood cholesterol? How could this be harmful to his health?

Answer 1

A chronic elevated blood cholesterol level can lead to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can lead to cardiovascular disease. The greater concentration of cholesterol floating in James’s bloodstream would most likely hasten the accumulation of plaque within his arteries. The excessive plaque in James’s bloodstream would narrow the passageway in which his blood circulates and lead to chronic hypertension. The high blood pressure would also damage small capillary sites such as the retina, kidney, and brain, perhaps leading to early blindness, kidney failure, and risk of stroke. In addition, according to our textbook, atherosclerosis is exacerbated by chronic inflammation due to the body’s response to a noxious (poisonous) stimulus, injury, or infection. It is the rare adolescent and young adult that does not encounter smoke, alcohol, athletic injuries, and some sort of infection, all risk factors that would further harm James. In addition, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association address the concept of the influence of stress on risk of heart disease. James has learned at a young age that he has high blood cholesterol and must take a lifelong medication; this knowledge may cause some stress. Furthermore, because the life of an adolescent has many instances of stress (relationships, college, employment), James will need to learn effective coping mechanisms to minimize his stress level.