BAD EFFECTS OF HIGH CHOLESTROL

High blood cholesterol is a condition when the cholesterol exceeds the normal limit. Yes, the body needs it but as all the other things, in limits!  It is a type of fat in the blood that the body needs to function normally. Cholesterol is used as a building block for many structures as well as other chemicals and hormones that are essential for the body’s activities. The body creates it and one also gets it from certain foods they eat. The body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. But, only a small amount of cholesterol, and when there’s too much cholesterol in the bloodstream, it may be deposited along the walls of arteries, including the coronary arteries of the heart, the carotid arteries to the brain, and the arteries that supply blood to the legs and the intestines. Which in turn causes narrowing and blockage of the arteries, producing signs and symptoms originating from the particular part of the body that has decreased blood supply.

The mere definition establishes the fact that it is not good for the health and the following are the effects of the high cholesterol:

• High cholesterol can create a bile imbalance, leading to gallstones. According to the National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse, more than 80 percent of gallstones are cholesterol stones.
• Very high cholesterol can lead to fatty deposits within your ligaments and skin, as well your liver and spleen. The enlargement of your liver or spleen due to fatty deposits places pressure on other organs within the abdominal cavity, leading to unexplained stomach or abdominal pain.
• When plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the brain, the brain is deprived of oxygen. Brain cells quickly become damaged and start to die (stroke).
• As coronary arteries narrow due to the cholesterol deposit, it’s harder for blood to make it to the heart. And if an area of plaque breaks open, it can result in a blood clot, which can block blood flow altogether. This puts one at a great risk of having a heart attack.
• One of the main side effects of high cholesterol is a progressive narrowing of the arteries and hardening of the artery walls, a condition called atherosclerosis.This condition causes the arteries to narrow and harden, increasing the risk of an arterial blockage or blood vessel rupture.
• Plaque can also build up and interfere with blood flow to the arms and legs (peripheral arterial disease). If the blood supply to the limbs is blocked, there may be numbness or pain. There’s an increased risk of infection in those limbs. Lack of blood can cause tissue death (gangrene) too.
• Another potential long-term side effect of high blood cholesterol is an increased strain on your heart muscle due to the development of cholesterol-linked vascular disease. When the arteries narrow the heart pumps harder to push blood through the blood vessels, often leading to an elevation in the heart rate. This puts a strain on your heart over time. Without the apt treatment this heart strain may increase the risk of potential fatal heart failure.
• Angina or chest pain is another effect of the choking arteries and a warning of the red flag to cholesterol.