Cholesterol management health centre

Conditions linked to high cholesterol

High cholesterol can cause narrowing and blocking of blood vessels, increasing the risk of conditions including heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and erectile dysfunction (ED).

High cholesterol has also been linked to diabetes and high blood pressure.

If you've been told you have high cholesterol, talk to your doctor about your risk of other health conditions, and how to help reduce the risk.

Coronary heart disease

The main risk associated with high cholesterol is coronary heart disease (CHD). Your blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with your chances of getting heart disease. If cholesterol is too high, it builds up in the walls of your arteries. Over time, this build-up (called plaque) causes narrowing of the arteries ( atherosclerosis), reducing blood flow to the heart. Reduced blood flow to the heart can result in angina ( chest pain) or a heart attack in cases when a blood vessel is blocked completely.

Stroke

Stroke can result if the blood supply to part of the brain is reduced. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain becomes blocked or bursts. Blood vessels may become blocked as a result of plaque build-up from too much cholesterol. When stroke occurs, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so it starts to die.

Peripheral vascular disease

High cholesterol also has been linked to peripheral vascular disease (PAD), which refers to diseases of blood vessels outside the heart and brain. In PAD, fatty deposits build up along artery walls and affect blood circulation, mainly in arteries leading to the legs and feet.

Erectile dysfunction (ED)

Blood vessels in the penis are smaller than those in other parts of the body, so ED may be an early warning sign of narrowing of the arteries. Narrowing can be due to clogging with fatty deposits containing cholesterol, called atherosclerosis.

Diabetes

Diabetes can upset the balance between “good” HDL and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. People with diabetes tend to have LDL particles that stick to arteries and damage blood vessel walls more easily. Glucose (a type of sugar) attaches to lipoproteins (a cholesterol-protein package that enables cholesterol to travel through blood). Sugar-coated LDL remains in the blood-stream longer and may lead to the formation of plaque. People with diabetes tend to have low HDL and high triglyceride (another kind of blood fat) levels, both of which increase the risk of heart and artery disease.

High blood pressure

High blood pressure (also called hypertension) and high cholesterol also are linked. When the arteries become hardened and narrowed with cholesterol plaque and calcium (atherosclerosis), the heart has to strain much harder to pump blood through them. As a result, blood pressure becomes abnormally high. High blood pressure is also linked to heart disease.