KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. High cholesterol that is left unchecked can trigger heart disease.
As is well known, cholesterol is a type of lipid or fat that circulates in the blood.
Also Read: Easy Ways to Lower Bad Cholesterol Without Taking Drugs
Cholesterol is basically very important for health. Reporting from Kompas.com, summarizing Medical News Today, cholesterol serves to help the body build new cells, protect nerves and produce hormones.
However, if cholesterol levels are too high, then this condition can be dangerous for the body.
In fact, most people already know that high cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease.
So why high cholesterol can cause heart disease?
Causes of cholesterol formation
High cholesterol levels in the blood are associated with an unhealthy lifestyle.
While the liver naturally produces all the cholesterol the body needs.
Unhealthy behaviors such as an unbalanced diet, lack of physical activity, smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke, and obesity can increase cholesterol production beyond need.
In addition, cholesterol can also enter the body through the consumption of certain foods, such as meat, milk, eggs and fried foods.
If the cholesterol is too much
When too much cholesterol enters the blood, it can build up on the walls of the arteries and lead to the process of atherosclerosis or a form of heart disease.
Then the arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the muscles will be slowed or blocked.
Where blood should be needed to form oxygen to the heart.
Conditions that cause not enough blood and oxygen to reach your heart, you may experience chest pain.
Worse, if the blood supply to part of the heart is stopped due to blockage, it will result in a heart attack.
Although high cholesterol can cause heart disease, it is important to know that there are two types of cholesterol.
Namely low-density lipoprotein (LDL or called bad cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL or called good cholesterol).
LDL or bad cholesterol is a major source of plaque that can clog arteries.
While HDL actually helps clear cholesterol from the blood.
There are also fats or other lipids, namely triglycerides, circulating in our bloodstream.
High triglyceride levels can also be linked to heart disease.
Symptoms of high cholesterol levels
High cholesterol often does not cause any symptoms, so people do not realize that cholesterol levels in their body are high.
Therefore, to determine cholesterol levels, it is necessary to do a blood test at a health facility.
This is important because to know your current cholesterol level.
Tests are recommended if you have a family history of high cholesterol, heart disease or other factors such as smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
High cholesterol levels must be lowered immediately, so as to reduce the risk of developing heart disease and experiencing heart failure and death.
Some of the following conditions need to be watched out for as a sign of high cholesterol levels:
1. Tired easily
Launching the book Recognizing Your Complaint: General Health Information for Patients (2013) by Dr. Ayustawati, PhD, symptoms of high cholesterol are not specific.
But, usually some conditions such as feeling tired quickly can be a sign of high cholesterol.
This occurs as a result of the appearance of plaque in the blood vessels due to high cholesterol levels which causes reduced blood flow to body tissues.
2. Often sleepy
Frequent sleepiness can be an indirect sign of high cholesterol and blockages in blood vessels.
Drowsiness is also related to reduced blood flow that carries oxygen to the brain. Complaints of frequent sleepiness and fatigue may occur.
3. Pain in the leg
Other signs of high cholesterol can also cause leg pain.
As the origin of fatigue due to high cholesterol, plaque buildup that occurs in the blood vessels in the legs, this causes pain or tenderness in the legs.
4. Stiffness in the neck
Launching the Cholesterol-Lowering Herbal Herb Book (2008) by Prof. HM Hembing Wijayakusuma, although it can be caused by many things, the neck feels sore in fact can be a sign of high cholesterol.
This condition is also associated with plaque that builds up in the blood vessels in the neck area.
The buildup of plaque due to high cholesterol can block blood flow in the neck and towards the brain.
5. Chest pain
Signs to watch out for are also due to plaque buildup due to high cholesterol levels that can occur in the heart blood vessels.
People with high cholesterol may experience symptoms of chest pain.
This condition is the beginning of heart disease or heart attack as a complication of high cholesterol.
6. Cholesterol buildup
High cholesterol is also characterized by xanthomata (cholesterol buildup) which are seen in body tissues, especially the skin and veins.
These symptoms appear in the form of round and yellowish swelling.
7. Xanthelasma appears
This sign of xanthelasma appears with yellow spots under the eyelids indicating high blood cholesterol.
8. Visible lumps in the veins
In some people who have high cholesterol levels due to genetic factors, cholesterol buildup can be seen from the skin.
The appearance of lumps of half a bean seed can be seen and felt in the veins near the knuckle.
However, there are no specific symptoms and no symptoms at all of the occurrence of high cholesterol.
The only way to know for sure cholesterol levels is with a blood test to see if the blood is normal or not.
Examination of cholesterol levels can be done at the age of 20 years and over, which can be repeated every 4-6 years.
Meanwhile, if you have risk factors for high cholesterol, doing blood tests regularly is also better.
How to find out high cholesterol or not by looking at the results of cholesterol level tests.
If it is above 240 ml/dl, it can be diagnosed with high cholesterol. (Maya Citra Rosa)
Also Read: Protecting Liver Function, These are the Benefits of Binahong for Health
This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title ” Why High Cholesterol Causes Heart Disease? This is the explanation“,
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