Fat metabolism disorder: what you can do
In addition to drug treatment, other health-promoting measures are important to improve blood lipid levels and reduce the cardiovascular risk. These include, for example:
- Reduce excess weight
- Quit smoking
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Regular physical exercise
Diet plays a key role in a lipid metabolism disorder. The focus should be on foods that are low in animal fats. Recommended are:
- Fish and poultry (without skin)
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils
- no or lean red meat and sausage products
- Dairy products with reduced fat content
- High-fiber foods such as wholemeal bread, potatoes, fruit, vegetables, salad
- Low-fat preparation methods such as steaming instead of frying
Interdisciplinary team
At the USZ, lipid metabolism disorders are carried out under the responsibility of recognized experts in this field. Complex cases are treated in an interdisciplinary team, i.e. specialists from different disciplines (metabolic specialists, cardiac specialists, vascular specialists) discuss the cases and find the best possible treatment proposal.
Lipid metabolism disorder: what we can do at the USZ
Together with lifestyle measures, medication is often used to achieve an optimal effect in the case of lipometabolic disorders. The following active ingredients, which can also be combined, are in the foreground and can be considered for drug therapy of a lipometabolic disease:
- Statins (cholesterol synthesis inhibitors to lower elevated blood cholesterol levels): e.g. pravastatin, simvastatin, atorvastatin or rosuvastatin
- Cholesterol absorption inhibitors (inhibit cholesterol absorption in the intestine): Ezetimibe; often combined with statins
- PCSK9 inhibitors (novel drugs that promote the breakdown of unfavorable cholesterol particles): e.g. Evolocumab, Alirocumab
- Fibrates (especially for lowering triglycerides): e.g. fenofibrate
- Omega-3 fatty acids (polyunsaturated fatty acids; especially for lowering triglycerides)
These drugs can improve your blood lipid levels. They prevent or reduce deposits in blood vessels and thus slow down vasoconstriction and prevent heart attacks and strokes. In very rare cases, it is also possible to remove unfavorable blood fat particles from the blood by means of blood washing (lipid apheresis).