It is easy to dismiss a build-up of cholesterol – a waxy substance produced by the liver – as not urgent. High cholesterol does not usually present symptoms so it’s easy to overlook its impact. However, consistently high cholesterol levels can cause a blockage in your arteries – a complication called peripheral artery disease (PAD).
PAD can have potentially fatal consequences, hiking your risk of a heart attack and death.
The cholesterol complication can also put you at risk of needing a leg amputation and there are two telltale sensations to watch out for.
According to the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), blocked blood flow to your legs can cause pain and numbness.
As the UCSF explains, this can be a precursor to “gangrene (tissue death)”.
READ MORE: High cholesterol symptoms: Two warning signs in your toes that show up ‘when resting’
“In very serious cases, this can lead to leg amputation.”
Other symptoms of PAD include:
- Coldness in your lower leg or foot, especially when compared with the other side
- Sores on your toes, feet or legs that won’t heal
- A change in the colour of your legs
- Hair loss or slower hair growth on your feet and legs
- Slower growth of your toenails
- Shiny skin on your legs
- No pulse or a weak pulse in your legs or feet
- Erectile dysfunction in men.
How to ward off the threat of complications
To keep cholesterol-related complications such as PAD at bay, it is vital to get a formal diagnosis of high cholesterol – this can inform the next steps.
Since high cholesterol does not generally cause symptoms, you can only find out if you have it from a blood test.
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Oily fish are a particularly good source of healthy unsaturated fats, specifically a type called omega-3 fats, notes Heart UK.
“Aim to eat two portions of fish per week, at least one of which should be oily,” advises the charity.
A portion is 140g, but you could have two or three smaller portions throughout the week, it says.
“Tinned, frozen or fresh all count e.g. salmon, sardines, pilchards, trout, herring and mackerel.”