What Are the Symptoms and Signs of High Cholesterol?

Posted by Anonymous

If you are wondering about high cholesterol symptoms or the signs of high cholesterol, the answer may surprise you. In fact, if high cholesterol goes on ignored, it might even cause some damage to your heart.

Heart disease has now surpassed cancer as the number one cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High cholesterol is one of the important components risk factors for heart disease. Unfortunately, there are no symptoms that are associated with high cholesterol. It is usually diagnosed through a routine blood test, and may come as a surprise to the person who is diagnosed, because he or she may feel OK otherwise.

In some cases, people may not find out that they have high cholesterol levels until they have had their first heart attack or stroke.

Although there are no symptoms associated with high cholesterol, it is the most modifiable risk factor for heart disease. This is why getting your cholesterol checked is extremely important.

Get Your Cholesterol Checked

The current guidelines recommend that everyone over the age of 20 should get their cholesterol checked at least once every five years. However, if you have a family history of high cholesterol, or you have been diagnosed with a chronic condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, you may consider checking your cholesterol more frequently. Once diagnosed, lifestyle modifications, and possibly medication, may lower your cholesterol. Even if you have not been diagnosed as having high cholesterol, there are many preventative measures that can be taken to reduce your cholesterol, as well as your risk for heart disease.

Sources:

Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (PDF), July 2004, The National Institutes of Heath: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

copy from : about.com