What symptom can tell you about dangerously high cholesterol?

The presence of specific neoplasms on the skin can indicate dangerously high cholesterol levels, according to family therapist Laura Purdy. The typical symptoms of pathological deposition of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels, the specialist told Eat This, Not That!

According to the specialist, people with elevated cholesterol may develop xanthomas, small yellowish fatty neoplasms on the skin. They can be of different shapes and sizes, but most often appear under the eyes.

Xanthomas are a physical manifestation of a serious imbalance of lipids in the body, and people who have these types of microtumors on their skin should get blood tests to check their cholesterol, Purdy said.

Also, being overweight can indicate lipid metabolism disorders. Obese people overwhelmingly have elevated cholesterol levels. For this reason, screening blood tests for low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high, density lipoproteins (HDL) should be taken annually not only for adults, but also for children and adolescents if they are overweight.

Also, high cholesterol is often found in diabetes and hypertension.

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