High Blood Cholesterol Levels Overview, Signs and Symptoms

High Blood Cholesterol Levels Overview

{SCA} There are usually no signs or symptoms of high blood cholesterol. Many people don’t know that their cholesterol level is too high.

There are generally no symptoms of high cholesterol. Likewise, people with normal cholesterol levels generally do not feel any better than people with high cholesterol levels.

The only way to detect high cholesterol and determine how it impacts a person’s total risk for cardiovascular disease is through a comprehensive evaluation from a licensed physician or health care professional.

High Blood Cholesterol Signs and Symptoms

High cholesterol level in the body is responsible for many serious disorders of heart. Read out signs and symptoms of high cholesterol.

Leg Pain on Doing Any Exercise

This is a result of narrowing of the peripheral blood vessels of the lower limbs.

Xanthomas

These are yellowish patches appear on the skin and around the eyes indicating high cholesterol level in your blood.

Cerebro-Vascular Stroke

It occurs when a thrombus clog a cerebral blood vessel, causing it to rupture and local hemorrhage will occur. A pressure will be created on this area of the brain.

Angina, Even Heart Attacks

This occurs when the coronary arteries are affected, depriving muscles of the heart from enough oxygen supply.

The proper laboratory diagnosis is very important to prevent or at least minimize the signs of high cholesterol.

A blood sample properly collected after fasting for half a day is enough to measure your blood levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol, HDL “good” cholesterol, TG (triglyceride), and total cholesterol.

As you may understand, recognizing in time the signs of high cholesterol, will prevent these serious events  from happening. What is more a proper laboratory diagnosis is very important not only to prevent but also to at least minimize the severity of high cholesterol signs and symptoms.

The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines recommend that everyone aged 20 years and older should have measured their blood cholesterol level at least once every 5 years. To find out your cholesterol numbers, it is best to have a blood test called a lipoprotein profile.

The lipoprotein profile will give information about,

  • Total cholesterol
  • Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) bad cholesterol: the main source of cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries.
  • High-density lipoprotein (HDL) good cholesterol: the good cholesterol that helps keep cholesterol from building up in arteries.
  • Triglycerides: another form of fat in your blood

Serious Complications of High Cholesterol Include,

  • Atherosclerosis
  • Heart disease
  • Blood clots
  • Hypertension
  • Myocardial infarction
  • Stroke

In case of high cholesterol level, low density lipoproteins (LDLs) will leave extra cholesterol in the blood. If HDL cannot pick up all of this cholesterol, it will build up on your artery walls, along with other fats and debris, known as plaque.

As the time goes on, plaque can narrow the blood vessels and sometimes this buildup may even block your blood vessels completely. This condition is called as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can affect all organs of systems but heart is the organ which is most seriously affected by both high cholesterol and atherosclerosis.

If the vessel is blocked in your brain, it can cause a stroke. Blockages can also take place in the blood vessels (called the coronary arteries) that carry blood to the heart muscle. This blockage process is called coronary heart disease, and it can lead to a heart attack.