Cholesterol is a lipid (fat) essential to many of our body’s metabolic processes, especially in producing vitamin D, bile, and hormones. Our liver and most body cells can naturally produce enough of it that our body needs.
However, we may consume extra cholesterol from animal food sources. Over time, these unnecessary dietary cholesterols build up in our blood vessels and form fatty deposits in the blood vessels. These can prevent blood flow and cause several illnesses like cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) like heart attack and stroke.
Hyperlipidaemia or high cholesterol is only detected through a blood test called a lipid panel. However, our body sometimes gives us warning signs that it’s suffering from high cholesterol. Check them out here.
Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
Erectile Dysfunction (ED) in men is the difficulty or inability to get an erection. It’s curable, and its cost of treatment is inexpensive compared to other conditions. It can be even lower if it’s covered by insurance or discounted with promotions, such as Viagra Discounts with BuzzRx.
Recent research has also found a link between ED and high cholesterol. One of the main causes of ED is the narrowing of the blood vessels, which can be led by high cholesterol. However, this link isn’t fully understood yet. The good news is that it has led researchers to explore using cholesterol-lowering medication to treat ED.
Slurred Speech
Dysarthria is one of the major warnings that your cholesterol levels are dangerously high. It’s typically a motor speech disorder that causes difficulty forming and pronouncing words. It usually occurs when the disruption of blood flow due to high cholesterol damages some of the brain’s parts responsible for swallowing and speaking.
Signs of High Cholesterol in the Legs
Claudication is one of the most common symptoms of high cholesterol in the legs. It causes aching, cramping, numbness, and fatigue during physical activities, including walking. It mainly occurs on the leg but may also be in the foot, calf, thigh, hip, or butt. The symptom may improve with rest but can progress and limit a person’s ability to move.
It often occurs when the blood vessels in the legs are narrowed or blocked due to peripheral artery disease (PAD), the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries. It causes poor blood flow. This makes the feet feel cool or cold, damages cells, tissues, and nerves, and causes muscle atrophy.
Besides muscle pain, people with PAD may experience physical changes in the legs and feet, usually in the nails and skin. For example, toenails may cause dystrophy or become abnormally thickened, deformed, or discolored. PAD may also cause ulcers (wounds) to form on the skin, especially after a minor injury, and, even worse, slow down their healing.
Signs of High Cholesterol in the Eyes
Xanthelasmas are unsightly yellowish-white (sometimes orange) spots on the eyelids. They’re often mistaken for a skin condition, but they’re deposits of fat and a sign of high cholesterol. Hence, xanthelasmas are commonly referred to as “cholesterol spots.” They’re usually benign and don’t cause harmful effects on one’s vision. However, they should be assessed by a healthcare professional.
Another sign of high cholesterol in the eye is arcus senilis. It looks like white, blue, or gray rings around the cornea periphery or iris (the colored part of the eye). While it may seem like the iris has two colors, it’s a discoloration caused by cholesterol deposits in the cornea. Like cholesterol spots, it doesn’t affect one’s vision. Still, once noticed, contact a doctor immediately.
One of the most dangerous situations is when high cholesterol starts harming the retinal vessels. Our retina, a light-sensitive tissue that sends neural signals to the brain for visual recognition, receives blood supply through the retinal artery and retinal vein.
Cholesterol build-up breaks and blocks the vein, causing retinal vein occlusion. If it persists and blocks arteries, it can cause retinal artery occlusion, also known as a stroke. These conditions cause eye vision changes, such as blurry vision, dark lines or floaters (spots in the vision), and pain in the affected eye.
Signs of High Cholesterol in the Tongue
Hairy tongue is another sign of high cholesterol. It’s a condition that makes the tongue appear hairy or when the papillae (the small bumps on the tongue’s surface) become enlarged and discolored.
As mentioned, build-up cholesterol causes blockage in the arteries and the tongue. This results in inadequate nutrition and oxygen supply to the body, which usually results in discoloration and disinformation.
For example, a hairy tongue can vary in color from white to black, but the tongue’s tip usually has a purplish or bluish color. It also causes sublingual veins (seen at the bottom of the tongue) to appear dark, crooked, or thick.
A hair tongue isn’t harmful. It only causes bad breath and a bad taste in the mouth. Despite that, a proper diagnosis should be made. More importantly, it’s a sign of high cholesterol, which must be prevented at all costs to prevent worst-case scenarios like CVDs.
Final Thoughts
Besides poor diet, high cholesterol levels can be caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices. It can also be inherited and caused by certain medical conditions (like diabetes, hypothyroidism, lupus, and chronic kidney disease).
Fortunately, it’s preventable and treatable. Remember that it can be asymptomatic, and the only way to detect it is through blood tests. Hence, routine checkups are highly recommended.
