Cholesterol Blockage Common Symptoms

Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver and found in animal foods such as dairy products, meat and eggs. Cholesterol helps with the digestion of food, producing hormones and holding cells together, but too much in your blood can blockage, keeping you arteries from carrying blood and oxygen to your body. There are some symptoms that can alert you that blockage might be occuring.

• Some foods are high in cholesterol.

Symptoms of Heart Blockage

• When the flow of blood to your heart is blocked, you may feel tightness in your chest or pain in your chest, left arm, neck, jaw, or between your shoulder blades. You could experience an irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea and fatigue. You could feel dizzy, have a hard time breathing, or pass out.

Carotid Artery Blockage

• Almost 90 percent of strokes are caused by blockages in the carotid arteries that carry blood and oxygen to your brain. There are usually no symptoms, but some people with cholesterol-blocked carotid arteries will get sudden headaches, vision problems, numbness, dizziness or have lack of coordination, slurred speech and difficulty walking.

Peripheral Artery Disease in Legs

• Peripheral artery disease is caused by cholesterol blockage in arteries to your extremities, such as your arms, legs, feet and to some organs, such as your stomach and kidneys. Symptoms of cholesterol blockage in your legs include intermittent claudication, which is cramping, weakness and fatigue in your legs during activity. It stops when you stand still. If you have severe blockage, your legs may turn a pale bluish color and become cold. You could begin to feel pain in your legs during non-active times and lose hair on your legs.

Peripheral Artery Disease in Abdomen

• When cholesterol blocks arteries to your intestines, you may have dull cramps to severe pain in the middle of your abdomen. Other symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and swelling of the abdomen.

Prevention/Solution

• Eat fruits and vegetables.

  There's no cure for cholesterol blockage. Preventing it by changing your diet and lifestyle is the best course, but if you already have it, your doctor can prescribe medications that can lower your cholesterol or treat the parts of your body that are adamaged. Exercise, weight loss and eating healthy foods that include whole grains, vegetables and fruit can help prevent cholesterol blockage.