Killer condition can have no symptoms – except one sign in the feet

A KILLER condition that affects millions of people in the UK has no symptoms – but your feet could give clues.

High cholesterol can creep up on you because it has no obvious signs – but is very serious.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance in the blood which accumulates with a bad diet, lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol.

When there is too much cholesterol it blocks the blood vessels.

Sometimes people have no idea they have the condition until they develop serious complications of a heart attack or stroke. 

Your GP may test your cholesterol if they think you could be at risk or have suffered a health problem caused by the condition.

But otherwise there is no way of knowing, other than buying NHS accredited tests online.

The British Heart Foundation says: “It’s a hidden risk factor which means it happens without us knowing until it’s too late.”

So what could your feet tell you about this silent killer condition?

Cramping in the feet and legs, numbness, or discolouration of the skin could signal there is something seriously wrong.

These are all symptoms of peripheral vascular disease – a complication of high cholesterol.

High levels of LDL, or the “bad cholesterol,” can lead to blocked arteries, which is the major cause of PAD.

In peripheral vascular disease (PVD), the blood vessels become narrow, hardened or blocked.

This limits blood flow to the limbs, most commonly the legs and feet.

For many people, the first signs of PVD begin slowly and irregularly, starting with “discomfort like fatigue and cramping in your legs and feet that gets worse with physical activity”, says.

It can cause reduced hair growth in the legs, reddish blue or pale skin, wounds or ulcers that won’t heal on the legs and feet, thick opaque toenails or numb and heavy muscles.

In the more advanced stages, people may develop critical limb ischemia.

The severe blockage of blood to the lower limbs results in severe pain in the feet and toes, even when sitting doing nothing.

“The pain caused by CLI can wake up an individual at night,” The University of California San Francisco says.

“This pain, also called ‘rest pain’, is often in the leg and can be relieved temporarily by hanging the leg over the bed or getting up to walk around.”

Risk factors, other than high cholesterol, include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and being physically inactive.

Anyone can get high cholesterol.

Things that cause high cholesterol include:

• Eating too much saturated fat
• Not being active enough
• Having too much body fat, especially around your middle.
• Drinking excessive alcohol
• Smoking