Symptom: Cholesterol and lipids

Introduction: Cholesterol and lipids

Lipid abnormalities such as high cholesterol or triglycerides are important conditions. This section examines lipid problems as symptoms of other underlying conditions. See also symptoms of high cholesterol.

» Review Causes of Cholesterol and lipids: full list

Causes of Cholesterol and lipids

• Abetalipoproteinemia - hypercholesterolemia
• Acquired total lipodystrophy - abnormal lipid metabolism
• Apo A-I deficiency - hypercholesterolemia
• Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy - hyperlipidemia
• Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy, type 1 - hyperlipidemia

See all 23 causes of Cholesterol and lipids

Causes of Types of Cholesterol and lipids:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Cholesterol and lipids:

• Hypercholesterolemia (15 causes)
• Hyperlipidemia (14 causes)
• Raised Cholesterol (12 causes)

More types of Cholesterol and lipids

Cholesterol and lipids: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Cholesterol and lipids, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

• Cholesterol and lipids: Multiple Symptom Checker

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

• Cholesterol and lipids and Head symptoms (13 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Skin problems (12 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Skin symptoms (12 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Swelling symptoms (12 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Body symptoms (12 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Weight symptoms (12 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Face symptoms (11 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Enlarged liver (9 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Enlarged liver and spleen (9 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Liver problems (9 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Liver symptoms (9 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Spleen symptoms (9 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Swollen spleen (9 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Behavioral symptoms (9 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Eye symptoms (8 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Muscle symptoms (8 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Muscle weakness (8 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Nerve symptoms (8 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Weakness (8 causes)
• Cholesterol and lipids and Skin texture changes (8 causes)

See full list of 337 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Cholesterol and lipids

Home Diagnostic Testing and Cholesterol and lipids

Home medical tests possibly related to Cholesterol and lipids:

• High Cholesterol: Home Testing:
  • Home Cholesterol Tests
  • Home Triglycerides Tests
  • Home Blood Pressure Tests
• High Blood Pressure: Home Testing
  • Home Blood Pressure Monitors
  • Home Heart Tests
• Heart Health: Home Testing:
  • Heart Rate Monitors
  • Irregular Heartbeat Detection
  • Heart Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Cholesterol and lipids

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Cholesterol and lipids:

• High cholesterol (23 causes)
• High blood pressure (314 causes)

Diagnostic Guides for Cholesterol and lipids

Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Cholesterol and lipids from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Cholesterol and lipids. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Cholesterol and lipids

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Cholesterol and lipids

Metabolic syndrome often undiagnosed: Metabolic syndrome, also known as Syndrome X, is an often overlooked medical condition that causes a cluster of chronic symptoms. There are often four symptoms and conditions combined: ...read more »

Heart attacks can be undiagnosed: Although the most severe symptoms of heart attack are hard to miss, there are varying degrees of severity. It is altogether too common for people to die from undiagnosed heart attack, or from delaying...read more »

Heart attacks can be overdiagnosed: Although many people die from heart attacks, there are also many cases where people fear that they have a heart attack, but actually have something milder. Some of the conditions which may be causes of chest pain,...read more »

Undiagnosed causes of weight gain and obesity: Although obesity may be related to lifestyle issues, there are also a number of medical causes of weight gain or obesity that may...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Cholesterol and lipids

Diagnostic tests for Cholesterol and lipids:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Cholesterol and lipids. Some of these are listed below :

• Physical examination
  • Physical signs of elevated cholesterol e.g. xanthomata ( yellow lipid deposits on elbows, knees or palms), xanthelasmata (yellow lipid deposits on eyelids) or corneal arcus before age 50 ( grey ring around periphery of cornea that occurs due to deposition of fat)
  • Body mass index - should aim for BMI between 20-25.
• Blood tests
  • Fasting lipid profile including total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides

See full list of 11 diagnostic tests for Cholesterol and lipids

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Cholesterol and lipids. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

• When was your high cholesterol and lipids first diagnosed? - to determine if acute or chronic.
• What was the level of your cholesterol?
• Was a reading of your HDL (good cholesterol), LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides performed? - there is a strong association between total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels and coronary heart risk. HDL appears to have a protective effect against coronary heart disease.
• Have you ever been on medication for cholesterol in the past?
• Other risk factors for coronary heart disease? - e.g. smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, family history of early heart attacks, past personal medical history of heart attack.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Cholesterol and lipids (15 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Cholesterol and lipids) may include:

• Symptoms of pancreatitis? - E.g. severe central abdominal pain radiating to the back, vomiting- can occur with significantly elevated triglycerides.
• Symptoms of retinal vein thrombosis? - e.g. sudden vision loss - can occur with significantly elevated triglycerides.
• Symptoms of disease as a consequence of elevated lipids? - E.g. stroke, heart attack, intermittent claudication, gangrene of lower extremities.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Cholesterol and lipids (15 listings)

Stories from Users for Cholesterol and lipids

Real-life user stories relating to Cholesterol and lipids:

• High Cholesterol
• cholesterol emboli
• blisters on back of hands
• Bumps on back of hands
• Triglycerides
• lump around eyes

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Cholesterol and lipids or relevant symptoms:

• Cardiovascular (Heart and Blood Circulation) (171)
  • Chest pain and shortness of breath
  • Hand numbness
  • Purple-blue skin color
  • Need help with diagnoses
  • Anxiety and high BP
  • More user stories
• Hematologic/Lymphatic (Blood and Lymph) (106)
  • High platelet count
  • Extreme neck pain, swollen lymph node -help
  • Swollen lymph nodes in groin
  • Nipple Discharge
  • Swollen Lymph Node for 2 1/2 months
  • More user stories

Videos for Cholesterol and lipids

Patient Surveys for Cholesterol and lipids

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about diseases related to your Cholesterol and lipids
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Article Excerpts about Cholesterol and lipids

Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced by the liver to help meet the body’s need for hormones and bile acids. It also enters the body when high-fat foods are consumed and when the body’s cholesterol level is higher than necessary for normal cell functioning. The resulting high blood cholesterol is a condition that greatly increases your chances of developing coronary heart disease. That is because extra cholesterol in the blood settles on the inner walls of the arteries, narrowing them, allowing less blood to pass through them to the heart. The higher your total blood cholesterol level, the greater your heart disease risk. (Source: excerpt from High Blood Cholesterol: NWHIC)

Organs affected by Cholesterol and lipids:

The list of organs typically affected by Cholesterol and lipids may include, but is not limited to:

• Blood

Detailed list of causes of Cholesterol and lipids

The list below shows some of the causes of Cholesterol and lipids mentioned in various sources:

• Abetalipoproteinemia - hypercholesterolemia
• Acquired total lipodystrophy - abnormal lipid metabolism
• Apo A-I deficiency - hypercholesterolemia
• Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy - hyperlipidemia
• Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy, type 1 - hyperlipidemia

See full list of 23 causes of Cholesterol and lipids

How Common are these Causes of Cholesterol and lipids?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Cholesterol and lipids. Of the 23 causes of Cholesterol and lipids that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 1 causes are "very common" diseases
• 1 causes are "common" diseases
• 0 causes are "uncommon" diseases
• 0 causes are "rare" diseases
• 1 causes are "very rare" diseases
• 20 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 23 causes of Cholesterol and lipids

Conditions listing symptoms: Cholesterol and lipids:

The following list of conditions have 'Cholesterol and lipids' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

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Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Cholesterol and lipids?

Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Cholesterol and lipids, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :

• General practitioner
• Cardiologist

Classifications of Cholesterol and lipids:

Subtypes of Cholesterol and lipids:

Hypercholesterolemia (5 causes), Hyperlipidemia (7 causes), Raised Cholesterol

Symptoms related to Cholesterol and lipids:

High cholesterol (20 causes), High blood pressure (218 causes)

Cholesterol and lipids as a disease:

You may also want to research other Diseases in our Disease Center.

Medical articles on signs and symptoms:

Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:

• What to tell your doctor about your symptoms
• What questions will the doctor ask about your symptoms (and why)?
• What does your doctor do in a physical examination?
• What questions should you ask the doctor about a symptom or diagnosis?
• What questions to ask the doctor about the treatment
• Steps to take to get the most out of a doctor visit
• More articles on symptoms and diagnosis

These general medical articles may be of interest:

• Medical Symptom Books
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis

See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

Medical News summaries about Cholesterol and lipids

Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Cholesterol and lipids and many other medical conditions:

• About metabolic syndrome
• CRP may be linked to risk of heart disease
• Maintaining a healthy brain may reduce dementia risk
• Metabolic syndrome can be treated with a low carbohydrate diet and exercise
• People about to begin an exercise program as well as athletes need to be checked for heart abnormalities

More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:

• Symptom Center - over 2,500 symptoms listed
• Symptom List
• Symptom Descriptions
• All Symptoms
• Diseases Center - find symptom lists for over 8,000 diseases.
• Books on Medical Symptoms
• Books on Medical Diagnosis