Pg.no. 55
An ideal level of HDL is above 1mmol/L. A lower level of HDL can increase your risk of
heart disease.
Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL may also be calculated. This is your total cholesterol
level divided by your HDL level. Generally, this ratio should be below four, as a higher ratio
increases your risk of heart disease.
However, cholesterol is only one risk factor and the level at which specific treatment is
required will depend on whether other risk factors, such as smoking and high blood pressure,
are also present.
How can I lower my cholesterol level?
The first step in reducing your cholesterol is to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. It's
important to keep your diet low in fatty food.
You can swap food containing saturated fat for fruit, vegetables and wholegrain cereals. This
will also help prevent high cholesterol returning.
Other lifestyle changes, such as taking regular exercise and giving up smoking (if you
smoke), can also make a big difference in helping to lower your cholesterol.
17. HIV:
HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, and weakens your ability to fight infections
and disease. It's most commonly caught by having sex without a condom.
It can also be passed on by sharing infected needles and other injecting equipment, and from
an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. The virus attacks the immune system, and
weakens your ability to fight infections and disease.
There is no cure for HIV, but there are treatments to enable most people with the virus to live
a long and healthy life.
AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, when your body can no longer fight life-threatening
infections. With early diagnosis and effective treatment, most people with HIV will not go
on to develop AIDS.
How do you get HIV?
HIV is found in the body fluids of an infected person, which includes semen, vaginal and
anal fluids, blood, and breast milk. It is a fragile virus and does not survive outside the body
for long.
HIV cannot be transmitted through sweat or urine.
The most common way of getting HIV in the UK is by anal or vaginal sex without a
condom. According to statistics from Public Health England, 95% of those diagnosed with
HIV in the UK in 2013 acquired HIV as a result of sexual contact.
Other ways of getting HIV include:
using a contaminated needle, syringe or other injecting equipment
transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding