Health Consequences of High Cholesterol

High cholesterol is dangerous to your health as it can lead to arteriosclerosis, a disease characterized by the buildup of cholesterol plaques on the artery walls. This can cause several other conditions, such as:

– Coronary artery disease, which results in decreased blood flow to the heart muscle and can lead to a heart attack.
– Stroke, caused by decreased blood flow or bleeding in the brain.
– Peripheral artery disease, primarily in the lower extremities, manifesting as pain, numbness, coldness, ulcers, or gangrene of the skin.
– Aortic aneurysm, a dilation and weakness of the wall of the body’s largest artery, which can rupture and cause internal bleeding.
– Pulmonary embolism, a blockage of the pulmonary artery by a clot that can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, cyanosis, or death.

Intermittent Claudication: A Sign of High Cholesterol in the Legs

One of the symptoms that may indicate high cholesterol and the development of arteriosclerosis in the arteries of the lower extremities is intermittent claudication. It manifests as pain, fatigue, or numbness in the legs, especially the calves, when walking.

The pain increases with exertion and requires stopping and resting. After a while, the pain disappears, and you can continue walking until the pain returns.

The distance you can walk without pain is called the intermittent claudication distance and is a measure of the severity of ischemia in the extremities.

Intermittent claudication is caused because narrowed arteries cannot supply sufficient oxygen and nutrients to the working leg muscles. As a result, the muscles switch to anaerobic metabolism, causing the buildup of lactic acid and other substances that irritate pain receptors. Therefore, intermittent claudication is a sign that the leg arteries are affected by arteriosclerosis and require treatment.

Intermittent claudication can be very bothersome and limit daily activity and quality of life. Furthermore, if not properly diagnosed and treated, it can progress and lead to more serious complications, such as ulcers, infections, gangrene, or even the need for limb amputation.

Other symptoms of high cholesterol

In addition to intermittent claudication, high cholesterol may be associated with other symptoms, such as:

– Chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, or irregular heartbeat, which may indicate coronary artery disease or a myocardial infarction.

– Headache, dizziness, speech, vision, or movement disorders, which may be signs of a stroke.

– Yellow spots on the eyelids or iris, called xanthelasmas or xanthomas, which are composed of cholesterol and may be visible to the naked eye.

– White spots on the cornea, called corneal arcus or gerontoxon, which are also related to cholesterol buildup in the eye.

– White rings around the carotid arteries, known as Monckeberg’s sign, caused by calcification of atherosclerotic plaques.

– White spots on the nails, called Mees spots, which may be the result of peripheral embolism caused by cholesterol clots.

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