Are there any physical signs of high cholesterol?

Question

I am just curious if anyone knows if they had "funny" symptoms, then found out they had high cholesterol. Did the symptoms stop after meds?

v_ball girl.
Sadly, I can promise you I do not eat a high fat diet. Anyone can have high cholesterol levels, even volleyball players. It's called genetics.

How am I suppose to pick a best answer when just about everyone gave the best answer they know? Thank you to everyone!

my opinon two: if you are going to be a drug and alcohol cons., I would suggest a short course in Medical Conditions. You can be overweight and have low cholesterol. You can be in shape, a healthy eater and have high cholesterol.

Answer 1

High cholesterol is not a disease but a metabolic derangement that can be secondary to many diseases and can contribute to many forms of disease!

Signs and symptoms:
************************
Elevated cholesterol does not lead to specific symptoms unless it has been longstanding. Some types of hypercholesterolemia lead to specific physical findings: xanthoma (thickening of tendons due to accumulation of cholesterol), xanthelasma palpabrum (yellowish patches around the eyelids) and arcus senilis (white discoloration of the peripheral cornea).
Longstanding elevated hypercholesterolemia leads to accelerated atherosclerosis; this can express itself in a number of cardiovascular diseases:

Angina pectoris, leading to PTCA or CABG
Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
Cerebrovascular accidents/Strokes
Peripheral artery disease (PAD)

Answer 2

High Cholesterol Signs

Answer 3

Signs Of High Cholesterol

Answer 4

1

Answer 5

Natural Cholesterol Guide

Answer 6

There are no physical symptoms to high cholesterol. My dad was going crazy trying to control his then he got hold of a book the title is "The Eight Week Cholesterol Cure", by Robert Kowalski.

It basically is a regimen of daily oat bran and Niacin tablets. In just over 4 months his cholesterol went down from 267 to 142 and he's off all the statin medications. I was amazed that the Drs don't want to hear about something that works without all the expensive medication.

This book is the new edition, the original was published in 1987, this oen was published in 2002 I think. It's available at Barnes and Noble, Borders and Amazon.com

Good luck, I hope this helps someone

Answer 7

Most people have no symptoms of high cholesterol until it may be too late - circulatory or heart problems. Skin tags are not a symptom of high cholesterol as some have said in their posts. Those are caused by a virus or other skin irritation. An overweight person is more likely to have high cholesterol but even an otherwise healthy looking person can have high levels due to genetics. The only sure way to know is to have it checked with a blood test.

Answer 8

Symptoms of High Cholesterol

Generally, high cholesterol is a "silent" condition that rarely causes its own symptoms. As a result, many people do not realize that they have high cholesterol.

You may, however, have symptoms caused by a serious illness associated with high cholesterol, such as atherosclerosis, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, or inflammation of the pancreas. Atherosclerosis is a narrowing of your arteries that can lead to coronary artery disease (CAD). Unfortunately, by the time you have symptoms of CAD, such as chest pain, the arteries in your body are usually severely diseased already. Your first symptom of high cholesterol could be a heart attack or a stroke.

Inherited forms of high cholesterol, such as familial hypercholesterolemia, can cause physical signs that you or your doctor may notice. The most common is the formation of xanthomas, which are cholesterol deposits below the skin.

Diagnose Cholesterol
Firstly you may use some of cholesterol test kits. Based on your results you may refer to health professional. A doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant also will use one of two blood tests to check your cholesterol:

* A nonfasting cholesterol test will show your total cholesterol and high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or "good" cholesterol).
* A fasting cholesterol test, called a lipid profile or a lipoprotein analysis, will measure your LDL ("bad" cholesterol), HDL, and total cholesterol. It will also measure very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and triglycerides.

What is High Cholesterol?
High cholesterol is caused by eating a diet too high in cholesterol and saturated fat or by having an inherited condition that causes elevated cholesterol levels.
Treatment includes eating a more healthful diet, increasing physical activity, and possibly taking cholesterol-lowering medications.
A blood test can determine whether you have high cholesterol. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L).



Total cholesterol (mg/dL) Classification Total cholesterol (mmol/L)
less than 200 mg/dL

desirable

5.17
200 to 239
borderline-high

5.17 - 6.18
240 or higher
high

6.21 or higher

Answer 9

I have to disagree with the suppossed signs mentioned here, it is genetic. I should know, I've been 30% overweight for many years, have a few of the small fatty deposits under my skin and have had a couple of the small bumps on eyelids - but despite all these "signs," my cholesterol stays consistently at 170. I get it checked periodically and it never moves.

I do think besides hereditary it could be dietary, I was vegetarian for 10 years and even still I don't eat red meat and eat less meat, more fiber, and more fresh vegetables than most people. My diet is pretty healthy, I just have trouble losing weight and I like dessert :-)

Get a blood test or maybe the eye test mentioned, I think I would go for blood though, you know its accurate and its probably cheaper - you can usually find a public location offering them like at a drug store or YMCA for about $30-$50.

Answer 10

A) You may hear a rushing noise in your carotid artery due to turbulent blood flow.
B) You may have swelling of your abdominal aorta.
C) Your legs and feet may get heavy, or feel cold, hence difficulty feeling the flow of blood in your feet (weak pulse).
D) Some people with extremely high cholesterol sometimes get deposits of cholesterol in their skin that look like small, yellow bumps and tend to appear on the skin that covers the elbows, knees, hands, and feet. The medical name for these cholesterol bumps is "Xanthomas".
E) Some people also get whitish-yellow cholesterol bumps on their eyelids. These are called "Xantdeposits".

Read More:
http://health.yahoo.com/topic/cholesterol/resources/article/healthwise/ue4683abc

Answer 11

High Cholesterol is something that can be controlled through proper dieting and if needed medication. There are no real physical signs but there are things that affect cholesterol:

1. Weight- If you are overweight, you are at risk for heart disease. It also tends to increase your cholesterol.

2. Diet- Alot of saturated fats in your diet can raise your blood cholesterol. Cholesterol in your food will as well. Read your labels! Educate yourself in the difference between Saturated and Unsaturated fats.

3. Physical Activity - If you are not physically active, this too can put you at risk for heart disease. Physical activity will help lower the cholesterol in your blood.

** The above list are things that we have control over!! Following are 2 things that we cannot control that will put us at risk:

1. Age and Gender- As we get older our cholesterol levels tend to rise. Prior to menopause women will have lower cholesterol levels than men that are the same age. After menopause, a womans cholesterol will rise.

2. Heredity- Your genes can determine how much cholesterol your body will make. High blood cholesterol can run in families.