Contrary to what some people think, you cannotfeelif your cholesterol levels are high.
If left untreated,high cholesterolcan place you at risk of serious complications, including aheart attackorstroke.
What Is High Cholesterol?
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Signs and Symptoms
There are generally no overt signs or symptoms of high cholesterol.
You ultimately cannot “feel” high cholesterol if you have it.
For example, high cholesterol can lead tohypertension(high blood pressure).
Only in severe cases might high cholesterol lead to a skin condition known as xanthoma.
Xanthomas are mainly associated with a genetic form of the disease known asfamilial hypercholesterolemia.
Ultimately, the only way to know if you have high cholesterol is to get a blood test.
The more risk factors you have, the greater the need and frequency of cholesterol testing.
Some risk factors for high cholesterol are things that we can change, such asdietandexercise.
Others cannot be changed, such as your age, sex, or genetics.
Complications
Some people don’t ever think about having their cholesterol checked if they are feeling well.
And this can be a mistake since untreated hypercholesterolemia can lead to a number of serious complications.
When cholesterol levels are high, fatty plaques can begin to form on the walls of blood vessels.
Diagnosis
The only way to tell if you have high cholesterol is through alipid panel.
Anything between the high and low values is considered normal.
Anything outside of the reference value is considered abnormal.
The current reference ranges for a lipid panel in the United States vary by age and sex.
Lifestyle Modifications
Changes in lifestyleincluding ahealthy dietand routine exerciseare the first-line response to high cholesterol.
Options include:
Other drugs may be prescribed if you have high triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia).
A Word From Verywell
Feeling healthy is not necessarily the same thing as being healthy.
Neither does having fewer risk factors mean that you won’t develop heart disease in later life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people will not experience any symptoms if they have high triglycerides.
Symptoms of high cholesterol are rare.
Both are more common in people with genetic forms of high cholesterol.
There are an increasing number of home cholesterol test kits approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration.
They are generally not as reliable as in-office tests but may be appropriate in some situations.
Millions of people already on cholesterol-lowering medications struggle to reach LDL targets with statins alone.
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