High cholesterol signs that you should not ignore
Posted By Suborna Fermi
Posted on Nov 05, 2022
A waxy, fat-like substance called cholesterol is produced by your liver, and is essential for the foundation of cell membrane, vitamin D and certain hormones. As cholesterol is a fat substance, it cannot dissolve in water. Lipoprotein helps in transporting cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Lipoprotein is mainly categorized by two types, such as low density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) and high density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol). Low density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol can get buildup in the arteries causing heart attack or stroke. Eating too much fat-containing food can elevate the LDL level in your blood, this condition is called high cholesterol.
What are the signs of high cholesterol?
In most cases, certain severe health problems such as heart attack or stroke occur only when the cholesterol level is too high. High cholesterol leads to plaque buildup into your arteries, and this plaque formation narrows the arteries which causes only little blood to pass through. Besides, this also changes the formation of the arterial lining, which leads to a severe health problem.
However, high cholesterol does not cause any symptoms or signs. Only a blood test can show you if your blood cholesterol level is high or not. If your age is 20 or above then you should go for the cholesterol tests at least once in every 4 to 6 years.
Also, there are certain risk factors of high cholesterol levels. The risk factors are:
- If you are overweight
- If you have diabetes
- If you have high blood pressure
- If you smoke
- If you have a family history of high cholesterol
If you have any of the above risk factors then you should have to check your cholesterol level more frequently.
If you are having left sided chest pain, unsteady gait, sudden dizziness, slurred speech, and pain in the lower leg, then seek medical help right away because all of these are the signs of heart attack or stroke.