Complications of high cholesterol occur when you stay out of service for months and can affect people of all ages, including children and adolescents, but are more common in middle-aged or elderly people who have had uncontrolled cholesterol for years.
These possible complications cascade and include:
- The first complication of high cholesterol is atherosclerosis.
- Which involves the accumulation of blood in the inner walls of the veins and arteries.
- Because excess fat in the bloodstream is severe because it causes a decrease in the diameter within the vessels.
- Forcing the heart to generate more strength so that the blood reaches all parts of the body.
How to identify and treat: There are usually no symptoms, but chest pain may be found during a cardiac catheterization or cardiac angiotomography exam, treatment can be done with food rehabilitation and medication.
As the diameter of blood vessels decreases, blood passes with increased pressure through these areas and this is called high blood pressure.High blood pressure is particularly severe because it doesn’t always show symptoms, only when it’s very high and the person is at risk for heart failure.
How to identify and treat: Diagnosis of high blood pressure should always be made by a doctor, through various pressure measures in the office, or with the 24-hour MAP exam.High blood pressure can be controlled with proper nutrition, low salt, or by the use of medications prescribed by your doctor.
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle is not strong enough to pump blood to all parts of the body.This usually occurs in people with high blood pressure or when there is a problem with a heart valve, for example.
How to identify and treat: Generates symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, cough and swelling of the legs, and treatment is done with a low-salt diet, medication and when severe, with surgery or heart transplantation.
A heart attack occurs when there is a lack of blood in the vessels of the heart, resulting in the death of heart tissue due to lack of oxygen, this can happen when a vessel is completely blocked and blood cannot pass and reach the heart.The main symptom is chest pain that can occur during exercise, but heart attack can also occur when the person is resting or sleeping.
How to identify and treat: Symptoms include chest pain that may radiate to the left arm, jaw or back.Treatment may be done with medications, catheterization or surgery.
Another possible complication of high cholesterol is stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is completely blocked and does not allow blood to pass through that area. The lack of blood in the brain is called ischemic stroke and it has serious consequences because the nervous tissue can die from this lack of blood and therefore there can be paralysis on one side of the body and difficulty speaking and eating, which requires a lifetime treatment.
How to identify and treat it: In ischemic strokes are common symptoms such as decreased strength on one side of the body, tingling on one side of the face, decreased sensitivity or difficulty speaking, treatment can be performed with medications, surgery and physiotherapy for rehabilitation.
Thus, the best way to prevent all these complications is to take steps to lower cholesterol, decrease consumption of foods high in sugar and fats and perform physical activity to burn the fat accumulated under the skin and inside the blood vessels.
Watch the video below and learn how to lower your cholesterol: