High cholesterol

What is high cholesterol? 

High cholesterol (also known as hypercholesterolaemia) is when the blood has high levels of the natural fatty substance called cholesterol. Your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, but if levels are too high, it can cause fatty deposits to develop in your blood vessels. If these deposits build up, they can result in blocking your arteries, which can cause serious complications such as a heart attack or stroke. 

Cholesterol is carried through the blood by particles called lipoproteins. There are two types of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol: low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).  

When LDL carries cholesterol, this is called ‘bad’ cholesterol. This type of cholesterol is damaging to your heart and can result in cardiovascular disease. 

When HDL carry cholesterol, this is called ‘good’ cholesterol. This type of cholesterol is good for the heart at high levels and can help prevent cardiovascular disease. 

Symptoms 

High cholesterol doesn’t present symptoms and is usually only found by taking a blood test. However, if you have inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolaemia), you may notice symptoms such as: 

• Tendon xanthomata – swelling of the knuckles, hands, knees, and Achilles tendon. 

• Xanthelasmas – small yellow lumps seen in the inner corner of the eye 

• Corneal arcus – a pale white ring around your iris (the coloured part of your eye). 

Even if you feel fine, you should regularly check your cholesterol levels, particularly if you’re at an increased risk. 

Complications 

Having high cholesterol levels can put you at risk of developing further heart issues such as chest pain (angina), heart attack, or stroke. These complications are caused by a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries and blood vessels, resulting in a blockage.  

Causes 

High cholesterol has many causes, but habits and lifestyle choices highly influence it. 

Diet and exercise arguably have the largest impact on the development of these conditions. Eating foods high in saturated fats reduces the liver’s ability to process cholesterol, leading to higher levels in the blood. Being inactive also increases the level of ‘bad’ cholesterol, as being active helps reduce LDL cholesterol levels and increases ‘good’ HDL cholesterol levels. 

Non-modifiable factors that may also impact high cholesterol include age, gender, ethnicity, or genetics. 

Diagnosis 

During your initial appointment, we will assess your symptoms and evaluate your medical and family history.  

If we suspect you may have an issue, we will investigate further to determine what may be troubling you. 

If we suspect you may have high cholesterol, we will suggest you have a blood test to get an idea of your lipid profile and cholesterol levels.  

Depending on the results from these tests, we may conduct further tests to determine what may be troubling you. 

Treatment 

Treatment will depend on the issues we may have discovered during testing and your individual needs.  

Our first suggestion will be to implement key lifestyle changes to make sure you are as healthy as possible and tackle your concerns naturally first. These changes may include: 

• Implementing a healthy diet and regular exercise routine

• Quitting smoking, drinking, and taking recreational drugs

• Building a healthy sleep routine

• Implementing stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi