What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). Cholesterol is a lipid found in the cell membranes of all tissues, and it is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Because cholesterol is synthesized by all eukaryotes, trace amounts of cholesterol are also found in membranes of plants and fungi.The name originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, as researchers first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones by Francois Poulletier de la Salle in 1769. However, it is only in 1815 that chemist Eugene Chevreul named the compound "cholesterine".[2]Most of the cholesterol is synthesized by the body and some has dietary origin. Cholesterol is more abundant in tissues which either synthesize more or have more abundant densely-packed membranes, for example, the liver, spinal cord and brain. It plays a central role in many biochemical processes, such as the composition of cell membranes and the synthesis of steroid hormones. Cholesterol is insoluble in blood, but is transported in the circulatory system bound to one of the varieties of lipoprotein, spherical particles which have an exterior composed mainly of water-soluble proteins. The main types, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) carry cholesterol from and to the liver.According to the lipid hypothesis, abnormally high cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia) and abnormal proportions of LDL and HDL are associated with cardiovascular disease by promoting atheroma development in arteries (atherosclerosis). This disease process leads to myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke and peripheral vascular disease. As high LDL contributes to this process, it is termed "bad cholesterol", while high levels of HDL ("good cholesterol") offer a degree of protection. The balance can be redressed with exercise, a healthy diet, and sometimes medication.

considered low blood pressure
Low blood pressure - hypotension
Low blood pressure or hypotension is persistent abnormally low blood pressure. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in your arteries.

BBC - Health - Ask the doctor - Low blood pressure
In the UK, low blood pressure is usually considered to be unimportant, unless it's very low as a result of blood loss, trauma or severe infection and toxic

Blood Pressure (Low)
Low Blood Pressure, also known as Hypotension, occurs when blood Normal Blood Pressure is considered to be roughly 100-140 systolic and 60-80 diastolic.

Hypotension - low blood pressure - Better Health Channel.
If the measurement drops 30mmHg below the personÁ™s usual blood pressure, this is considered to be hypotension. Low blood pressure has many different causes

Introduction: Low Blood Pressure: Merck Manual Home Edition
Very low blood pressure can be life-threatening because it can lead to shock (see Shock). Healthy people who have blood pressure that is low but still in

Blood pressure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prehypertension is now considered to be a systolic pressure ranging from 120 to 139 or a . Blood pressure that is too low is known as hypotension.

Low Blood Pressure Symptoms - What are the Symptoms of Low Blood
The development of symptoms is considered an indicator that a patient should be evaluated to discover the cause of the low blood pressure and to rule out

Low Blood Pressure - Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention
Hypotension is the medical term for low blood pressure, generally considered to be a systolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or less in an adult.

Blood pressure (low) Introduction - Health encyclopaedia - NHS Direct
Low blood pressure is also known as hypotension. People with a reading of around 90/60, or less, are commonly regarded as having low blood pressure.

MedlinePlus: Low Blood Pressure
Some people have low blood pressure all the time. They have no symptoms and their low readings are normal for them. In other people, blood pressure drops

Low blood pressure
Many people were quite wrongly treated for low blood pressure in the UK in the Until recently, normal blood pressure was considered to be the average

Low blood pressure (hypotension) - CNN.com
Even blood pressures formerly considered healthy Á” 120 to 139 systolic and 80 to 89 diastolic Á” are now believed to increase the risks. Low blood pressure

Low Blood Pressure
This occurs when the pressure on the blood vessel walls falls below normal limits. Low blood pressure that does not cause symptoms is generally considered

Low blood pressure - WebMD
Learn about low blood pressure, also known as hypotension. Postural hypotension is considered a failure of the autonomic nervous system -- the part of

Your High Blood Pressure Questions Answered Á” Low Blood Pressure
Blood pressure lower than 120/80 mm Hg is considered "normal," and the term Áœlow blood pressureÁ« is relative. (Note: Your blood pressure is usually lowest

Low blood pressure (hypotension) - MayoClinic.com
Low blood pressure, also called hypotension, would seem to be something to downward revision of what is considered a normal blood pressure reading.

Low blood pressure (hypotension): Causes - MayoClinic.com
Yet this can be misleading because what's considered low blood pressure for you may be normal for someone else. For that reason, doctors often consider

Low blood pressure
The lower pressure, below 100/70mmHg, is considered as low BP which is also known as hypotension. Low blood pressure - is the pressure reading below

Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension) Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and
Blood pressures over 130/80 are considered high. High blood pressure Unlike high blood pressure, low blood pressure is defined primarily by signs and


considered low blood pressure
blood pressure apparatus
blood pressure with hyperventilation
blood pressure dropped
blood pressure variability