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.

blood child high pressure
High Blood Pressure in Children
Answers to your questions about high blood pressure and children and more! Information you can trust: patient guides, the latest news, tips, tools,

Medem: Medical Library: High Blood Pressure in Children
In most instances of high blood pressure, no known cause can be identified. However, when hypertension becomes severe in children, it's usually a symptom of

MedlinePlus: High Blood Pressure
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute). Return to top; Children. High Blood Pressure and Children: Early Treatment Offers Hope(Mayo Foundation for

Pediatric Oncall-HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IN CHILDREN
Hypertension in children, its causes and treatment at www.pediatriconcall.com.

High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents - Lucile Packard
High blood pressure means that there is higher than normal pressure inside the arteries either during systole (when the heart contracts and pumps blood

High blood pressure and children: Early treatment offers hope
High blood pressure can threaten your child's health â” but early treatment can help.

High blood pressure and children: Watch your child's weight
A Mayo Clinic specialist explains how obesity and high blood pressure threaten children's health.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
The only way to know whether your child has high blood pressure is to get it When a child has high blood pressure, the heart and arteries have a much

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), explanation, reading, causes and effects information provided in the Heart Encyclopedia by Cincinnati Children's

High Blood Pressure in Children
Get the facts about children and high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure in Children
Children, even very young babies, can have high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends that all children age 3 and older have yearly


blood child high pressure
blood high in lung pressure
blood high pressure tea
blood normal number pressure
blood hight pressure