How You Know if You Have High Cholesterol

High Cholesterol - Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

Having high cholesterol can increase your risk of heart and circulatory diseases such as center assault, stroke and vascular dementia.

What is loftier cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance institute in your blood. It's produced naturally in the liver.Everyone has cholesterol. We demand it to stay healthy considering every cell in our trunk uses it. Some of this cholesterol comes from the nutrient nosotros eat.

High cholesterol is when you have likewise much cholesterol in your blood. This tin can increase your risk of heart and circulatory diseases such equally heart assault and stroke.

What are the types of cholesterol?

In that location are two main types of cholesterol, one good and the other bad. Having likewise much 'bad' cholesterol can cause bug with your health. Cholesterol is carried in your blood by proteins. When cholesterol and proteins combine, they're called lipoproteins.

High-density lipoproteins or HDL is chosen 'expert' cholesterol. This is because it gets rid of the 'bad' cholesterol from your blood. Information technology takes cholesterol that y'all don't need back to the liver. The liver breaks it down then it can be passed out of your body.

Not-high-density lipoproteinsor non-HDL is called 'bad' cholesterol. This is because when there is besides much of information technology, information technology tin can build up inside the walls of the claret vessels. This clogs them up causing narrowing of the arteries which increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

You may have besides heard 'bad' cholesterol being called 'LDL' cholesterol. This was previously used equally the main measure of bad cholesterol but we now know that other forms of non-HDL cholesterol are also harmful.

Triglycerides

Our blood also contains a type of fat chosen triglycerides. This is stored in the body's fatty cells. Being very overweight, eating a lot of fatty and sugary foods or drinking also much alcohol can make you lot more likely to have a high triglyceride level. Triglycerides can as well contribute to the narrowing of the artery walls, increasing your risk. You may encounter it on your cholesterol reading results, and your doctor volition exist able to tell you if it'south besides high.

You can accept a normal level of HDL and not-HDL cholesterol merely still have a high triglyceride level.

Why is high cholesterol bad for you?

Non-HDL accept cholesterol from the liver to the cells around your body. Too much bad cholesterol (not-HDL) can be harmful because it sticks to the inside walls of your arteries. This can pb to fatty material (atheroma) building upwards - this process is known as atherosclerosis. It makes it harder for blood to period through, which can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.

If your total cholesterol is loftier, it can hateful that you have a lot of bad (not-HDL) cholesterol in your blood. A high level of skilful (HDL) cholesterol tin assistance keep that bad cholesterol in check and remove it from your body.

What should my cholesterol level be?

There is no specific target cholesterol level because your doctor is looking at your overall risk of developing center and circulatory diseases. Our nurse talks about cholesterol numbers in our below video:

What causes high cholesterol?

Anyone tin can get loftier cholesterol, and it tin can be acquired by many different things. Some things yous can command like lifestyle habits, others you can't. As long every bit yous have care of the things you can command, y'all'll help lower your gamble.

Things that cause high cholesterol yous can control:

• eating too much saturated fatty
• non being active enough
• having besides much body fat, especially around your middle.

Smoking can lead to loftier cholesterol levels, and the build-up of tar it causes in your arteries makes it easier for cholesterol to stick to your artery walls.

If you are overweight or accept diabetes, you are at greater risk of having loftier cholesterol.

Things that cause high cholesterol you tin can't control:

• getting older
• if you are male or female
• ethnic background
• Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a class of loftier cholesterol you are born with
• kidney or liver disease
• an underactive thyroid gland

Signs and symptoms of high cholesterol

There aren't commonly any typical signs you have high cholesterol which is why information technology's and so important to go it checked out. Information technology's a hidden risk factor which means it happens without us knowing until it's likewise late.

How is cholesterol measured?

Blood cholesterol levels are measured using a simple claret test. Your GP or practice nurse will take a blood sample, commonly by pricking your finger or you might exist asked to go for a blood test at your local hospital.

Your blood is and so checked for levels of good (HDL) cholesterol, bad (not-HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides, equally well as getting a total cholesterol result.

Cholesterol and triglycerides are measured in units called millimoles per litre of claret, usually shortened to 'mmol/Litre' or 'mmol/L'. Generally speaking, for a salubrious middle the aim is to have a low non-HDL level and a higher HDL level.

If you have been told you take a high cholesterol level, you accept too much 'bad' cholesterol in your bloodstream which increases your hazard of having a middle set on or stroke. Merely a high level of 'good' (HDL) cholesterol can assistance keep that 'bad' (non-HDL) cholesterol in check.

What does having high cholesterol mean for my health?

Your run a risk of heart and circulatory disease is increased if y'all have high cholesterol too as other risk factors, such as:

• smoking
• high blood pressure
• being physically inactive
• being overweight
• having diabetes
• family history of premature coronary heart affliction (before 55 for men and before 65 for women)
• existence of South Asian origin

The more take a chance factors yous have, the higher your risk of developing a heart or circulatory disease such as a eye attack, stroke or vascular dementia.

How can I lower my cholesterol levels?

• Consume a healthy balanced diet, low in saturated fatty
• Go active
• Quit smoking

Find out more than near living a healthy lifestyle and simple swaps you tin make to help reduce your cholesterol.

OUR v Elevation WAYS TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL

Medications and treatments for high cholesterol

If your cholesterol is very high and if lifestyle changes are non enough, your doctor might suggest decision-making information technology with medication.

Statins are the main type of medicine used to reduce cholesterol. Your dr. will let you know if you need to have any other drugs which help command your cholesterol levels. They may likewise refer y'all to a specialist called a lipidologist.

If you have questions about your medicines, speak with your dr. or call our Heart Helpline on 0300 330 3311. You tin also wait at our publications for more information.

Help and back up

If you lot are aged twoscore-74 you lot can ask for an NHS health check in England only, but like schemes are available in other parts of the UK. Your medico should write to y'all every five years about this, but you can also just make an date to check your blood pressure.

If you lot have high cholesterol, it's important to know that you lot're not solitary. Find back up from healthcare professionals and the people around  yous.

Call our Middle Helpline at 0300 330 3311 to speak to one of our Cardiac Nurses. They can give yous data and support well-nigh heart and circulatory diseases, and their risk factors.

Join our HealthUnlocked community.

Manage your cholesterol

Our cholesterol hub answers all your questions about cholesterol, including how to manage it, when to get checks and more about statins.

More near cholesterol

Want to know more?

Gild or download our publications:

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Source: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-cholesterol

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