Subtle signs in legs that indicate cholesterol and heart attack risk,
An estimated 25million Americans deal with high cholesterol, which increases risk of heart attack and stroke.
But because many don’t get a blood test, four in 10 are completely unaware they have it.
Doctors are raising awareness about a sign that you can look out for in your every day life that might clue you in to your risk – and they affect the legs.
The most common symptom is subtle leg pain during movement, according to the CDC, so are cold, numb toes and a loss of pulse to their legs.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance necessary for our body to function, but when someone has high levels of it, the sticky molecules can pile up in blood vessels – restricting blood flow.
People with high cholesterol sometimes develop a condition called peripheral artery disease (PAD), where the tiny vessels in the legs or arms become clogged.
Within five years of being diagnosed with PAD, 20 percent of patients have a heart attack or stroke.
Dr Amy Pollak, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic said: ‘We must ask about symptoms, treat these patients with aggressive medical therapy and follow them more closely.’
This, Dr Pollak said, could be crucial in cutting down the number of people with heart disease, which is currently the leading cause of death in the US.
The most common symptom, affecting 60 percent of people with PAD, is a painful, cramping or aching sensation in the arms or legs when moving or exercising, that ends when you sit down to rest.
Television personality Howie Mandel, 68, has been open about his struggle with high cholesterol in hopes of raising awareness about the condition.
He said that like many people, he ignored warnings from doctors to get his cholesterol under control when he was younger.
Now, he’s aware of how dangerous that is, and urges people to manage their condition with medication and diet.
Mandel said: ‘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.’
High cholesterol is incredibly common – and can be caused by genetics or by poor diet and exercise choices. Eating foods high in animal fats, like red meat, dairy and fried foods, can make cholesterol worse.
You can’t feel high cholesterol on it’s own, which means people often brush it off, but over a lifetime, raised levels of this fatty-substance may begin affecting your body.
One of the first changes some might see happen in the legs, with PAD.
Aside from pain from walking, other signs of PAD include muscle weakness, hair loss, shiny skin, skin that is cool to the touch, decreased or missing pulse in the feet, sores that don’t heal on the legs and cold, numb toes.
People who smoke, have high blood pressure, diabetes or are obese are all at higher risk for developing PAD. Past age 60, the risk for developing PAD increases.
In the five years after a PAD diagnosis, approximately one-third will die, and 20 percent will experience a heart attack or stroke, according to Mayo Clinic.
If left undiagnosed, people with PAD are at higher risk for limb loss, because the loss of circulation can cause tissue to die off, according to the American Heart Association.
Treatments include both lifestyle changes, like managing blood sugar, and medical changes, like starting blood thinners or statins.
Statins are medications that can reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood stream.
In addition, to prevent PAD, the CDC recommends regular cardio exercise to get the blood pumping more actively through the circulatory system.
Spreading awareness about this condition, and the risks of high cholesterol in general, is key in preventing a ballooning of people with heart disease in the future, as America’s populous continues aging, Pollak said.
Dr Pollak said: ‘As a higher percentage of the US population becomes older in the coming decades, progressive cardiovascular diseases like PAD will be relevant to even more people’.
