Risks factors
There are no revealing signs of hypercholesterolemia. The measure of the concentration of cholesterol is only known after a blood test, fasting.
The blood test is indicated in some cases:
Medical family history of hypercholesterolemia
If members of your immediate family (parents, brothers, sisters) had a heart disease before 60 years, you may have high cholesterol. High cholesterol can also be from familial origin. If members of your family have too much cholesterol, be careful!
Overweight
Being in overweight is a risk factor for cholesterol, as well as a large waist measurement (more than 80 cm for women and 94 cm for men). Physical inactivity is banned, move! All the more reason, you may develop more heart disease if you are in overweight.
Calculate easily your BMI (body mass index) by this calculation :
Diseases (high blood pressure, diabetes, renal failure, hypothyroidism)
If you have a high blood pressure, you are more exposed because the intensity of blood pressure damages the artery walls and thus increases the risk of accumulation of fatty deposits in the arteries.
Diabetes is also a risk factor because it decreases the good cholesterol.
Age
Risks related to cholesterol increase with age. It is important to control his cholesterol level for men from the age of 50 years and women from the age of 60 years.
At the same age, women tend to have lower cholesterol levels than men but this one increases after menopause.
Cardiac or vascular complication
Too high LDL-cholesterol levels can also lead to heart or vascular complications. It is therefore very important to continue to control your cholesterol level to prevent from recurrences.