Can you have high cholesterol without symptoms?

Yes, you can have high cholesterol with no symptoms. In fact, there are no common symptoms or signs of high cholesterol, which can help you identify that you may have high cholesterol levels. That’s why high cholesterol levels are often called a ‘silent condition’.

The only way to definitively determine whether your cholesterol levels are high is through blood tests, which your practitioner will suggest to help identify and diagnose this condition. This is part of the reason why period blood testing is important to help monitor your ongoing health as you age.

Since there are no common signs or symptoms of high cholesterol, many people don’t bother to seek high cholesterol treatment or management solutions until they’ve already begun experiencing the signs of Coronary Heart Disease, or they experience a heart attack or stroke.

By this point, there may already be irreparable damage done to your heart or arteries. Whereas prevention of high cholesterol through food choices and exercise can reduce the causes of high cholesterol before they occur.

In rare or extreme cases, there are some signs of high cholesterol on your face that you may be able to see. Be sure to talk to your practitioner immediately, if you begin to experience:

• Xanthomas - Fatty, yellow-coloured deposits under your skin or around your eyes, elbows, or knees. This is typically found in people with genetic lipid disorders.‍
• Arcus Senilis - A white or grayish ring that appears around the cornea of your eye. This is often seen in seniors, but it can be a sign of high cholesterol levels in people under the age of 45.