High cholesterol is known by many as the 'silent killer'. This is because, generally speaking, it is completely asymptomatic. That said, you may still ask yourself what are the signs and symptoms of high cholesterol. Unfortunately, once you start noticing signs and symptoms, you may already be in a very dangerous position.
Knowing What Are the Signs and Symptoms of High Cholesterol:
Some of the very first signs that you could spot that would suggest you may have high cholesterol include:
- Suffering from angina, which is caused when one or more arteries are narrowed, making it more difficult to feed the heart
- Having a heart attack, which will be caused by one of the arteries responsible for feeding the heart being narrowed
- Having a stroke, which is caused when one of the arteries that feeds the brain or the neck becomes blocked
- Experiencing pain while walking, which is likely to be caused by one of the arteries responsible for feeding the muscles of the leg being blocked.
- Once any of these symptoms arrive, however, you will have an established circulatory and heart disease. Additionally, as you can see, these are very serious conditions. There are some other signs to look out for, however, which may help you avoid getting in that dangerous situation.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of High Cholesterol Before Things Become Dangerous?
You must be aware of how high you risk is of developing a high cholesterol condition. If you are likely to have it, you should watch your diet, and get tested more regularly as well. Some of the risk factors to be aware of include:
- Having a direct relative – parent, sibling, or child – who also has high cholesterol.
- Having a parent or sibling who developed angina or had a heart attack before the age of 60 (female relative) or 50 (male relative).
- Having type 2 diabetes.
- Eating a diet that is high in saturated and/or animal fat.
- Leading a sedentary lifestyle.
- Experiencing a white ring around your eyes' iris, or your eyelids developing fatty deposits.
If you are in these risk categories, you don't necessarily have high cholesterol, but it does make it more likely. You need to engage in activities to lower your risk of developing heart and circulatory disease. Furthermore, you should make sure that, if you are over the age of 40, your cholesterol is tested every five years. It is likely that your physician will order a full health check, which will look into your chances of having a stroke or heart attack. They will generally also test you for kidney disease and diabetes.
Some More Risk Factors:
There are a few other risk factors to cardiovascular disease to be aware of. High cholesterol is just one of those risk factors. If you also have any of the following risks, the chance of developing cardiovascular disease also increases:
- Being older
- Being of South Asian decent
- Having early heart disease in your family
- Being a smoker
- Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
- Being overweight or obese
- Having an apple shaped body