Symptoms of High Cholesterol

It is common for high cholesterol to trigger unexpected events such as heart attacks because of plaque building up within your arteries. It may also lead to heart disease, as well as other complications.

Cholesterol can be described as a waxy fat-like substance your liver produces. It’s essential to the development cells’ membranes, vitamins D as well as certain hormones. Cholesterol can’t dissolve in water, which means it isn’t able to move throughout your body.

Lipoproteins are particles that help move cholesterol throughout the bloodstream. There are two types of lipoproteins.

LDLs, also known as low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) often referred to as “bad cholesterol” are able to accumulate in arteries and contribute to serious health issues, like heart attacks or stroke.

Consuming too many foods with high levels of fat raises the levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood. This is called high cholesterol. It is which is also known as hypercholesterolemia, or hyperlipidemia.

HDLs, also known as high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are sometimes referred to as “good cholesterol” assist in returning LDL cholesterol back to the liver to be eliminated.

When your level are high in LDL cholesterol are excessively high, or the levels in HDL cholesterol are not high enough the accumulation of fats in the blood vessels. The deposits can cause a problem for blood to circulate through your arterial. This could lead to problems all over your body, especially in the brain and heart or even fatal.

It is not a cause of any symptoms. Most of the time it’s only responsible for emergencies situations. For instance an attack on the heart or stroke could be the result of the damages caused by high cholesterol.

The majority of these events don’t happen until the high cholesterol causes the formation of plaque within your blood vessels. Plaque may narrow the arteries, meaning that less blood can flow through. The process of plaque formation alters the structure of the arterial lining. This can lead to serious problems.

Blood tests are the sole way to tell whether you have too high cholesterol. This is when you have a total blood cholesterol reading that is higher than 200 mg per deciliter (mg/dL). A doctor can conduct an assessment of your cholesterol after you reach the age of 20. You should then have your cholesterol checked every 4 to six years.

A physician may also recommend you check your cholesterol more often if you have an extended family history of high cholesterol. They may also recommend it when you have these risk indicators:

are high blood pressure patients.
are overweight
smoke

Genetic factors that lead to high cholesterol

There’s a condition passed through genes that causes high cholesterol called familial hypercholesterolemia. The affected individuals have cholesterol levels that are 300 mg/dL or more. There is a possibility of developing xanthoma which may appear as a yellow spot above the skin or a lump under the skin.
Coronary arterial (heart) heart disease (CAD)

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a form of cardiovascular disease. It develops when plaque accumulation results in the main arteries that provide blood to your heart to become narrowed or to become hardened.

The signs of heart disease can differ for both genders. However, heart disease is the most common cause of death among both genders across the United States. The most frequently reported symptoms include:

angina, chest pain
nausea
extreme fatigue
breathlessness
the neck jaw, upper abdominal or in your back

Stroke

The accumulation of plaque that is caused by high cholesterol could increase the chance of having your blood supply to an important area of your brain cut off or shut off. This is the scenario that occurs when you suffer a stroke.

A stroke is an medical emergency. It’s crucial to act swiftly and seek medical treatment when you or someone who you know suffers from the signs of stroke. The symptoms are:

sudden loss of coordination and balance
sudden dizziness
Asymmetry in the facial appearance (drooping eyelids and mouth only on one side)
inability to move, especially the an area of your body
confusion
slurring words
A feeling of numbness on your arm, face, or leg, mainly on the other or the other side
blurred vision, darkened vision or double vision
sudden severe headache

Heart attack

The blood vessels which provide the heart with blood will gradually narrow as a result of the accumulation of plaque. This process, known as atherosclerosis, takes place slowly and with no signs. In the end, a small piece of the plaque may be able to break off. If this happens there is a blood clot that forms on the surface of the plaque. It may hinder blood flow to heart muscle, and then hinder the flow of oxygen and nutrition.

Ischemia is the term used to describe this deficiency. If the heart is damaged, or when a part of the heart starts to die due to absence of oxygen, this is referred to as an attack on the heart. The medical term used to describe heart attacks is called myocardial Infarction.

As per the American Heart Association, someone living in the United States has a heart attack approximately every 39 seconds. Source.

Heart attack symptoms can include:

Squeezing, tightness, fullness, painor ache in your arms or chest
trouble breathing
fear or an angst of imminent doom
dizziness
nausea, indigestion, or heartburn
excessive fatigue

An attack on the heart is medical emergency. The damage to the heart can be irreparable or fatal if treatment does not start within the first few hours following the event.

It’s crucial to act swiftly and seek medical attention in the event that you or someone who you know is suffering from symptoms of an heart attack.
The Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a condition that occurs when plaque forms in the walls of arteries. This can stop blood flow through the arteries that supply blood to the stomach, kidneys, arms feet, legs and stomach.

Early PAD symptoms could include:

cramping
Achyness
fatigue
Leg pains that you feel when you exercise or do any activity the condition is known as intermittent claudication.
the discomfort you feel in your legs or feet

As PAD develops, symptoms appear more often and may occur even when you’re not in a state of the couch. The symptoms that develop later due to reduced blood flow can include:

thinness, paleness or a glistening surface of your legs or feet
the death of tissues caused by a the lack of blood supply also known as Gangrene
the feet and legs that do not heal, or heal very slowly.
leg pain that won’t go completely when you’re at rest
burning sensations in your toes
leg cramps
long toenails
toes that become blue
decreased the growth of hair on your legs
The temperature will decrease on your foot or lower leg as compared with the opposite leg

People who suffer from PAD are at an increased risk of suffering stroke, heart attack or leg amputations.

It is easy to identify through a blood test known as the cholesterol panel. A doctor will collect an amount of blood sent to an lab to be analyzed. The doctor will require to not consume any food or drink for at least 12 hours before the test.

A lipid panel evaluates the total amount of cholesterol in your body, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. It is recommended to have the following levels: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source states that these are the levels you should aim for:

LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol HDL cholesterol: 40 mg/dL and higher
Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dL

Your total cholesterol is usually thought of as “borderline high” when it’s between 200 to 239 mg/dL. It’s classified as “high” when it’s higher than 239 mg/dL.

It is important to know that your LDL cholesterol is typically deemed “borderline high” in the range of 130-159 mg/dL. It’s described as “high” in the case of a reading that is higher than 160 mg/dL.

It is important to know that your HDL cholesterol is typically deemed “poor” in the event that it’s lower than 40 mg/dL.