“This Is How I Controlled My High Cholesterol”: The Incredible Story

In the initial stages, hypercholesterolemia (or hypercholesterolemia) presents as an almost asymptomatic condition, that is, it does not involve true manifestations indicating its presence. The only exception to this is represented by homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. This particular case is very rare, but here, already from childhood, small deposits of cholesterol are noted in the skin, tendons and even around the cornea of ​​the eye, as well as fatty plaques. Of course, the symptoms depend on the stage of the disease.

At an advanced stage, if hypercholesterolemia is not managed properly, it can manifest as chest pain, a strong feeling of tightness or constriction, cramps during a walk, a moment of mental confusion and finally even a simple headache. Hypercholesterolemia is recognized as one of the main risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. More specifically, we must fear an increase in cholesterol carried by low density lipoproteins or also called LDL, the so-called “bad cholesterol”.

If the bad cholesterol is in excess, this means that it will inevitably tend to accumulate on the walls of the blood vessels, thus forming thickenings and plaques, which hinder the proper circulation of blood and therefore can lead to ischemia. vascular. Conversely, HDL cholesterol, better known as “good cholesterol”, which is conveyed by high-density lipoproteins, reduces this risk, since HDL particles help to cleanse the whole body of cholesterol, by transporting it to the liver, the organ used for the elimination of cholesterol. these wastes.

Cholesterol as mentioned above is a substance found throughout the body and necessary for life. Despite this, however, when present in excessive amounts, it can also cause serious health problems. So, here is how we can do to intervene in case of hypercholesterolemia. First of all, let’s start with good news, indeed, if on the one hand hypercholesterolemia is an insidious enemy, because it is responsible for serious symptoms, on the other it is easily identifiable thanks to a simple blood test.

It is precisely for this reason that periodic monitoring of blood cholesterol levels, from the age of 20, must become a real, wise and advisable habit. In general, from the age of 20, doctors recommend repeating the examination at least every five years, even if we think that we do not need it, because we have no symptoms. In the event of hypercholesterolemia or a family predisposition to this pathology, the doctor may advise carrying out the analyzes more frequently.