High cholesterol is a common disorder in Americans and people worldwide, and it can cause a lot of problems down the line if you’re not too careful. Well, here are some signs of high cholesterol, which mean you should see an internal medicine doctor.
10 Warning Signs Of High Cholesterol
Frequent Chest Pain
This is probably one of the most common signs of high cholesterol and it is also quite alarming and dangerous, if you think about it. High cholesterol can lead to chest pains, especially when you are exerting yourself too much.
Even if that is not the case, you can still feel your chest tighten if you are doing nothing and that is really bad, because it means that you are suffering from very high cholesterol that is also putting your heart in jeopardy. So, you don’t want to take this chest pain lightly.
If you feel like it is occurring more and more frequently and you can’t catch a break from it, then it is time to go and see a doctor. You might want to keep a log of things that you do when your chest pain worsens or if you feel like there are certain times of the day when you feel like your chest is hurting a lot. This will help the doctor understand things better and they can run a few tests on you to ensure that the problem you’re dealing with is high cholesterol.
Shortness Of Breath
Along with chest pain, you will also feel like your breath is coming in shorter and shorter. If this hasn’t happened before and it is suddenly happening with no reason, then you have to be alert about it. This is not some symptom that will just go away on its own.
You have to get to the bottom of the situation before it is too late. This is why you want to keep a check on breathing and ensure that you are not getting short of breath often, because that can be a problem and the primary cause might be cholesterol.
Tingling Or Numbing Sensation
Again, what you want to keep in mind is not just the sign, but the recurrence of it as well. If you normally don’t get tingly or numb, especially in the extremities of your body, like the tips of your fingers and toes, the nose, the ears, the elbows and other places, and you are starting to feel numb all of a sudden in these mentioned places, then that is not good at all.
High cholesterol can lead to tingling and numbness in the body, which is really bad and you need to check yourself in with a doctor for a cholesterol test.
Check Your Eyes
When you have a doubt of facing problems due to high cholesterol, you also want to keep an check your eyes. What you want to look at is signs of yellow deposits on the eyes. This is one of the most common symptoms and signs of high cholesterol, known as xanthomas. And the yellow deposits that you see are nothing but cholesterol deposits on your skin.
Since your blood is already overflowing with cholesterol levels, the severity has reached an intensity that it is now getting deposited under your eyes.
Remember that high cholesterol can be caused by various factors like genetics, unhealthy lifestyle habits, and medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, kidney diseases, liver disease, hypothyroidism, sleep disorders, etc.
Dizziness
High cholesterol can also cause you to become dizzy and sway from side to side. This is not good at all, and if it is happening in succession to the other signs, then you definitely don’t want to take this lightly. This is a really bad thing to occur and you have to get your bearings and figure out the problem before it is too late.
So, if you feel constant dizziness over the course of a few days, then you know that it is a problem and you need to fix it.
Fatigue
High cholesterol can also cause you to become very tired very quickly. Again, fatigue can be a symptom of many other disorders too, but if you see that it is occurring side by side with other cholesterol-related symptoms, then it is time to get serious, because this is not something that you should take lightly.
If you are usually active and suddenly you are finding it hard to get out of bed, then you need to get an appointment with your primary care physician Rockville, especially if you come from a family in which high cholesterol is familial and prevalent. This can really save you from a lot of trouble in the future.
Leg Pain & Cramps
High cholesterol can also cause leg pain and cramps. The main reason why your legs hurt a lot when it comes to cholesterol and its levels increasing dangerously high is that your blood has turned very thick and it is unable to flow freely in the veins and arteries.
Your heart has to work double time in order to pump the same amount of blood through your body and sometimes, it might not even reach places. When this happens, it causes cramping and it is really uncomfortable and unpleasant to deal with.
Slow Healing
When you are trying to figure out whether you suffer from high cholesterol or not, try to look at your injuries or anything that is freshly injured and the progress of the healing. This is a really good indicator that will let you know whether you are suffering from high cholesterol or not.
If the injury is healing very slowly, then it is an alarming sign, because the levels of cholesterol in your blood are causing the wound to stay unhealed, and if that happens, then you have to be really careful, because an unhealed injury can also cause infections later down the line and that is not what you’re looking for.
Joint Pain
High cholesterol can also cause joint and bone pain and that is because when the cholesterol levels reach very high levels, it can deposit the excess of it around your body, including your bones and joints. This can cause limitation in the movement of the joint and then it can ultimately lead to pain, which is not good at all.
So, if you feel like you are suffering from high cholesterol, then keep an eye on your bones and how they feel too, because that will be very telling in the long run.
Blood Tests
You want to run a few tests and you will be able to figure out whether what you suffer from is high cholesterol or something else. If you have a family history or are suffering from these symptoms for a very long time, then it is time to get some tests done.
You will have to go for a simple cholesterol test and that will tell you exactly what you need to know. Then, you can work out a treatment plan with your doctor.
Conclusion
Prevention is always better than being sorry in the long run. So, keep these signs in mind and make sure that you check in with an internist Gaithersburg as soon as possible.
