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Cholesterol is a type of fat — or what doctors call a lipid. Cholesterol and other lipids are as necessary for humans and other animals as water or air. Cholesterol is the main component of cell membranes and other structures, a kind of building block for body tissues. Certain glands use it to produce corticosteroids and hormones, including testosterone and estrogen. The liver uses it to help make the bile acids you need in order to digest and absorb fats. Cholesterol is also an important precursor to vitamin D. Cholesterol gets is bad name because high blood levels of LDL cholesterol are linked to heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.

The prostate is a small gland in men approximately the size and shape of a walnut. It sits directly below the bladder, in front of the rectum. The prostate is a part of the male reproductive tract. It produces fluid that combines with sperm to make semen. The prostate surrounds the tube that carries urine from the bladder (urethra). At birth, the prostate gland is tiny. During puberty, the prostate expands evenly. The enlargement that occurs in the second half of life is concentrated in the part of the gland next to the urethra. 

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, the large gland located behind the stomach. Most people who develop acute pancreatitis are admitted to the hospital. There is no specific drug therapy to hasten recovery. People are treated with pain relievers and intravenous fluids.

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, the large gland located behind the stomach. Pancreatitis can be acute, chronic, or recurrent. Ingesting extra sugar does not cause pancreatitis. However, during an episode of acute and recurrent pancreatitis, extra sugar may cause blood levels to rise. Also, people with chronic pancreatitis may have so much destruction of their insulin-producing cells that they develop diabetes.

Hematuria means blood in the urine. Causes of red blood cells in the urine include:
•    Urinary tract infections, such as a bladder infection
•    Kidney stones
•    Kidney diseases, such as glomerulonephritis
•    Bladder tumors
•    Kidney tumors

Claudication is most often due to atherosclerosis forming in the arteries that carry blood to the legs. This is pretty much the same as when atherosclerosis forms in the arteries that supply the heart. The buildup of cholesterol in the walls of one or more arteries slows the flow of blood through the arteries in both conditions. The muscles that depend on this blood flow complain by causing pain when they are not getting enough oxygen to do their work. When the arteries supplying the legs are significantly narrowed, the main symptom is pain in the calf muscles, which is known as “claudication. Atherosclerosis in the arteries supplying the legs happens in people with the same risk factors that cause atherosclerosis in the heart — smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes lead the list.

Flank pain is pain felt in either the right or left back side of your body below the last rib and above the pelvic rim. It can be caused a kidney problem, like a kidney stone or infection; muscle strain or spasm; or an irritated nerve. Sometimes pain in the right flank is due to a gallstone, and pain in the left flank can be due to pancreatitis or a problem with the spleen. Treating the underlying problem helps relieve the pain.