An estimated 25 million Americans deal with high cholesterol, which increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.
However, because many do not get bloodwork, four in 10 know they have it.
Physicians are raising awareness about a sign that you can be aware of in your everyday life that could clue you into your risk, which affects the legs.
According to the CDC, the most common symptom is subtle pain in the leg during movement, followed by a loss of pulse in the legs and numb and cold toes.
Cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance necessary for our body to continue to function. However, when someone has high levels of it, the sticky molecules can stack up in blood vessels, restricting the flow of blood.
Individuals with high cholesterol sometimes develop a condition called peripheral artery disease (PAD), where the tiny vessels in the arms or legs become clogged.
Within five years of being diagnosed with PAD, 20 percent of patients have a stroke or heart attack.
Cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Amy Pollak, said: “We must ask about symptoms, treat these patients with aggressive medical therapy and follow them more closely.”
Dr. Pollak said this could be critical in cutting down the number of individuals with heart disease, which is currently the leading cause of death in America.
The most common symptom, affecting 60 percent of individuals with PAD, is a painful, aching, or cramping sensation in the legs or arms when exercising or moving that ends when you sit down to rest.
Howie Mandel, a television personality, has been open about his struggle with high cholesterol, hoping to increase awareness about the condition.
He said, like many people, he ignored warnings from physicians to get his cholesterol under control when he was younger.
Now, Mandel is aware of how dangerous that is and urges individuals to manage their condition with diet and medication.
“The bad cholesterol is sticky. So, you can’t say ‘I’m within weeks of a heart issue,’ you could be within seconds of a heart issue,” said Mandel.
High cholesterol is prevalent and can be caused by poor exercise, diet, and genetics. Eating foods high in animal fats, like red meat, fried foods, and dairy products, can make cholesterol worse.
You can’t feel high cholesterol on its own, which means individuals often brush it off, but over a lifetime, increased levels of this fatty substance may start to affect your body.
One of the first changes some may see happen in the legs is with PAD.
Aside from walking pain, other signs of PAD include shiny skin, muscle weakness, hair loss, skin that is cool to the touch, missing or decreased pulse in the feet, cold, numb toes, and sores that don’t heal on the legs.
Individuals who smoke, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or are obese are all at higher risk for developing PAD. Past age 60, the risk of developing PAD increases.
In five years after receiving a PAD diagnosis, around one-third will die, and 20 percent will experience a stroke or heart attack.
If it’s left undiagnosed, individuals with PAD are at increased risk for loss of limbs because the loss of circulation can cause the dying off of tissue, according to the American Heart Association.
Treatments include both lifestyle changes like medical changes like beginning statins and blood thinners and managing blood sugar.
Statins are medications that can lower cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Additionally, the CDC recommends consistent cardio exercise to get the blood pumping actively through the circulatory system to prevent PAD.
Spreading awareness about the condition and the risks of high cholesterol generally is crucial in preventing a ballooning of individuals with heart disease in the future as the U.S. population continues to age, said Pollak.
“As a higher percentage of the U.S. population becomes older in the coming decades, progressive cardiovascular diseases like PAD will be relevant to even more people,” according to Pollak.
