Diseases Linked to High Cholesterol

High cholesterol increases the risk of other conditions, depending on which blood vessels are narrowed or blocked. These diseases include: coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. High cholesterol has also been linked to diabetes and high blood pressure. To prevent or manage these conditions, take steps to lower your cholesterol if it is elevated.

Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease

The main risk associated with high cholesterol is coronary heart disease. 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 buildup (called plaque) causes hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis causes arteries to become narrowed, slowing blood flow to the heart. Reduced blood flow to the heart can result in angina (chest pain) or in a heart attack in cases when a blood vessel is blocked completely.

Cholesterol and Stroke

Stroke can result if the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted. 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.

Cholesterol and Peripheral Vascular Disease

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

Cholesterol and Diabetes

Diabetes can upset the balance between HDL and LDLcholesterol 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 bloodstream 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 boost the risk of heart and artery disease.

Cholesterol and 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.