High cholesterol

For a lay person:

High cholesterol means too much fat (lipid) in the blood. It usually causes no symptoms but raises the risk of heart attack and stroke over time.

For a trained medical person:

Dyslipidaemia (raised LDL cholesterol, triglycerides or lipoprotein(a)), primary or secondary. Management is based on cardiovascular risk: lifestyle measures, statins, ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors.

In Chinese medicine:

Flaws and Sionneau's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Liver-Spleen Disharmony; Phlegm and dampness internally obstructing; Phlegm heat bowel repletion; Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency; Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency; Blood Stasis; Phlegm and stasis mutually binding. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: Red yeast rice contains a natural statin and should not be combined with prescribed statins without your doctor's advice.