The important correction is that high cholesterol usually causes no symptoms. You generally cannot tell that your cholesterol is high by how you feel; a blood test (lipid panel) is the reliable way to find out.
5 things that can sometimes be associated with very high cholesterol
These are not reliable symptoms of high cholesterol itself:
- Yellowish patches around the eyes (xanthelasma) — can occur with cholesterol disorders, although many people with them have normal cholesterol.
- Yellowish, fatty lumps around tendons — particularly the Achilles tendon or tendons of the hands. These can occur with inherited very high LDL cholesterol.
- A gray-white ring around the cornea (corneal arcus) — especially when it appears at a young age, it can sometimes indicate a cholesterol disorder.
- Chest pain with exertion — cholesterol can contribute to plaque buildup in arteries, which may eventually cause angina. The pain is from the artery disease, not from cholesterol itself.
- Leg pain or cramping when walking — can occur when cholesterol-related plaque contributes to peripheral artery disease.
The key message
Don’t wait for symptoms to appear before checking cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol can silently contribute to heart attack and stroke risk for years.
If you have sudden chest pressure, difficulty breathing, facial drooping, weakness on one side, or trouble speaking, seek emergency medical care rather than assuming it’s simply high cholesterol.
