What is high cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a substance naturally found in the lipids, or fats, of your blood. Your body needs cholesterol to produce healthy cells, but too much cholesterol can cause serious health issues.
Good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), is responsible for collecting excess cholesterol in your blood and taking it back to your liver for removal as waste.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, transports cholesterol particles throughout your body. However, these particles build up in your artery walls, causing the walls to harden and become narrow.
As a result of too much bad cholesterol, your blood can’t flow properly and your risk for developing serious health complications, including heart disease and heart attack, increases.
What are the symptoms of high cholesterol?
High cholesterol doesn’t present any noticeable symptoms. It’s only through a blood test to evaluate your cholesterol levels that Dr. Surendran can determine if you have the condition.
For this reason, you should have blood work during your annual physical. You may also need more frequent testing if you have risk factors for high cholesterol, including:
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Unhealthy eating habits
Your doctor can determine if testing is necessary after a review of your health history and your lifestyle habits.
What treatment options are available for high cholesterol?
Initially, your doctor may recommend making changes to your lifestyle to lower your cholesterol levels. These changes may include eating a healthy diet of fresh foods, getting at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, and maintaining a healthy weight.
You should also quit smoking to reduce your risk for high cholesterol and other long-term health complications.
If these changes aren’t enough to lower your cholesterol levels, you may need to start medication therapy. There are several medications available, including statins, that can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood.
Dr. Surendran can determine the best course of treatment based on your cholesterol levels.
If you have any risk factors for high cholesterol, schedule a consultation at Rochester Primary Care today. You can schedule a consultation by phone or by using the online booking feature.
