Just got told by your doctor that your lipid panel or lipid profile says that you have high cholesterol? Then keep on reading this article — it will show you that having high cholesterol is in fact a very serious matter and that you should spring into action without delay in order to have your cholesterol levels lowered.

What makes having high cholesterol particularly dangerous is the fact that it can increase your risk of suffering from certain medical conditions, all of which can put your life in grave danger.

The good news is that it’s very much possible to bring your levels of cholesterol back to what’s regarded as the normal or healthy range. Such can be done with the administration of medications referred to as statins, as well as embracing a healthy lifestyle and diet — quit smoking, take alcohol in moderation, keep stress to a minimum, get a good night’s sleep, exercise on a regular basis, consume high-fiber foods, eat foods that contain good cholesterol, and limit your intake of foods that are high in bad cholesterol, fat, sugar and sodium.

Make sure that you share this article on your various social media sites after checking it out most especially if you have family members and friends with high cholesterol, too, so that they may know that they are in danger of encountering the following if they fail to take the necessary steps right away:

High Blood Pressure

The presence of too much cholesterol in your bloodstream can cause your arteries to become narrowed and hardened. That’s because it can promote the accumulation of plaque on the inner walls of your arteries. This can keep blood from flowing freely through your arteries, thus causing your blood pressure to increase.

Doctors say that having high blood pressure may also be the one that’s responsible for the clogging of the arteries — it can damage the inner walls of the arteries sooner or later, and this can encourage plaque to collect in the affected areas.

Heart Disease

In the United States, around 610,000 individuals die of heart disease every single year. This only means that heart disease is something that’s quite common and definitely fatal. There are risk factors for heart disease that cannot be avoided or changed, but then there are also risk factors for it that you can do something about, such as having high cholesterol.

You don’t want to have heart disease as it can increase your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. Especially if you fail to obtain immediate medical attention, suffering from a heart attack or stroke could cost you your life.

Peripheral Vascular Disease

Also called PVD for short, peripheral vascular disease is characterized by the narrowing of the blood vessels — arteries and veins — as a result of the accumulation of plaque. It is referred to as peripheral because it affects blood vessels outside of the heart and brain. More often than not, PVD affects the blood vessels in the legs.

Initially, the symptoms are very mild — you may experience cramping in the legs or feet when engaging in physical activities. As the disease worsens, you may start to experience more intense symptoms. For instance, you may encounter claudication — muscle pain when walking that is relieved by rest.

If your lipid panel or lipid profile says that your cholesterol is off the charts, make sure that you follow your doctor’s instructions very carefully so that you may keep at bay the health-related concerns mentioned above. In some cases, the administration of drugs called statins is warranted to have your cholesterol levels considerably lowered. Definitely, having a healthy lifestyle and diet is recommended.