Is High Cholesterol a Comorbidity?

Comorbidity means an illness that either begins as a side-effect of another serious illness or predisposes a person to suffering another chronic illness. Examples of illnesses in which cholesterol is a comorbid disease include diabetes and coronary artery disease, both of which cause a high buildup of plaque in the arteries, called atherosclerosis.

High cholesterol, in and of itself, may contribute to the development of thyroid disease. It is thus a comorbidity of diabetes (developing from diabetes) and also of thyroid disease (contributing to the development of thyroid disease).

Comorbidities Associated With High Cholesterol

Some of the comorbidities associated with high cholesterol include:

• High blood pressure When cholesterol leaves plaque in the arteries, the high blood pressure caused would be a comorbidity of high cholesterol.
• Lupus or HIV Both inflammatory diseases that create a buildup of plaque in the arteries, which means that high cholesterol is a comorbidity of lupus and of HIV.
• Thyroid disease in which hypothyroidism raises your cholesterol levels, and hyperthyroidism requires medication that raises cholesterol levels, high cholesterol would be a comorbidity.
• Peripheral artery disease (PAD) Plaque buildup from high cholesterol can lead to PAD as the arteries slowly become less efficient at returning blood flow back to the heart, making it a comorbidity of high cholesterol.

Who Is at Risk of Comorbidities?

Research has shown that the people more likely to have comorbidities are people of older age and those with certain conditions, like obesity.