What do people with high cholesterol look like? The truth is, they look “healthy” at first glance, but slim people may be just as at risk as anyone else. There is.
As a doctor, there are some subtle signs to look out for (more on this later), but generally speaking, the only way to know for sure is to get a blood test.
And knowing your level is very important.
This is because, after cancer, the biggest cause of poor health and death is atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and cholesterol is largely to blame.
Virtually any artery can be affected by cholesterol, writes Dr. Martin Scarr
Ultimately, this fur causes heart disease, heart attack, stroke, or both.
Virtually all arteries can be affected, and for example, if cholesterol blocks the small blood vessels that supply the penis, it can cause erection difficulties.
The problem of elevated cholesterol (i.e., total cholesterol above 5 mmol/l and low-density lipoprotein or “bad” LDL above 3 mmol/l) causes few if any symptoms until the damage is healed. It is a silent killer that never shows up. It’s in progress. But shocking new figures released last week show that 53 per cent of adults in the UK have high cholesterol levels, but many people are unaware that their cholesterol levels are higher than they should be and that this is dangerous. I haven’t noticed.
A certain amount of cholesterol is necessary. For example, it is an important raw material that the body uses to manufacture certain hormones, and we absorb some cholesterol from foods such as eggs, but the liver stores up to 80 percent of it as saturated fat. Manufactured from foods containing saturated fat. Something high in sugar.
Although there are appropriate levels of cholesterol, ingesting too much can have a silent negative effect as it gradually builds up within the inner walls of your arteries. A variety of factors can cause deposits to build up, including high blood pressure, diabetes, aging, and family history.
Your gender also comes into play. Women are most likely to have high cholesterol, with the number of people affected increasing from 45 percent in 2019 to 56 percent in 2022. In comparison, men increased from 40 percent to 49 percent over the same period.
The hormone estrogen is thought to be extremely important because a woman’s cholesterol levels tend to change throughout the month and rise after menopause. Men and women also metabolize and store fat differently.
However, high cholesterol poses a major health risk for both men and women, so more emphasis needs to be placed on each of us being aware of our own cholesterol levels and making every effort to lower them to a safe range. there is.
Tests are usually carried out every five years for people aged between 40 and 74 as part of the NHS health check if they are not healthy.
Eating well and maintaining a healthy weight are the most important lifestyle choices anyone can make, so it’s time to start considering risk factors like weight.
One warning sign I look for in my patients is the buildup of cholesterol deposits in the skin, known as xanthoderma or xanthomas. These are yellowish, waxy plaques of cholesterol that are usually 10 to 12 mm in size. There may be one or two of these, or there may be a load.
They start out as small, yellow, seed-like nodules, but if your cholesterol is high enough, they can grow to several centimeters in length.
They are usually found on the delicate skin just below the lower eyelids, but can also appear on the knees, hands, and feet. No matter where you are, it’s a warning that you need to check your cholesterol levels.
Another sign is the old man’s bow. This is a gray ring around the edge of the iris of the eye, but it is not clear why it appears here.
Xanthomas regress within weeks or months after cholesterol levels drop, but senile arches remain permanently.
Some people are born with a predisposition to high cholesterol, called familial hypercholesterolemia. They may look slim and healthy, but for complex reasons their livers are not functioning properly, so they have very high levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol. Increases LDL from the blood. They almost invariably have a family history of premature death in previous generations.
If you have some time before your next NHS health check, I think it would be wise to take one of the DIY tests available on the high street, or visit a high street pharmacy that offers in-store cholesterol testing.
It was previously advised to take the test on an empty stomach in the morning, but this is now considered less important. We encourage all adults to start testing. It is best to know as soon as possible if levels are rising and take action.
People with high cholesterol may be prescribed statins, which are seen as a way to avoid making the lifestyle changes needed to lower cholesterol, such as losing weight, increasing physical activity, and improving diet. should not be.
But if you don’t know your numbers, you can’t take action.
