High cholesterol symptoms: The hidden sign on your ankle of high cholesterol levels
High cholesterol means you have too much of a waxy substance called LDL cholesterol in your blood. LDL cholesterol is commonly dubbed the “bad” cholesterol because it can clog up your arteries and hike your risk of having a heart attack. Unfortunately, this process often goes undetected due to an absence of symptoms.
However, consistently high LDL levels cause perceptible changes to your Achilles tendon.
As the University of British Columbia (UBC) exclaims, LDL cholesterol can lead to a build-up of “yellowish deposits” in tendons.
“Similar to the way it builds up in blood vessels.”
UBC continues: “Due to the biochemical affinity between LDL and the collagen found in tendons, LDL escapes from the bloodstream and attaches to tendons, particularly the Achilles, becoming ever larger and harder, and causing inflammation that ultimately undermines the tendon’s structural integrity.”
READ MORE: High cholesterol: Pain in either of these four areas could indicate dangerous levels
