Why your GP cares so much about cholesterol

Around 40% of Brits have too much of it in their blood, which can have devastating consequences on health if left untreated...

- DR HELEN WALL

One of the hardest things to manage as a GP is a condition that doesn't yet cause a patient any symptoms, but can potentially be catastrophic at some point. Cholesterol takes one of the top spots for this prize.

It may surprise you to know that we do need some cholesterol to build our cell walls and to make vitamin D and certain hormones, among other things. Unfortunately, too much can stick in our arteries, making them narrower and stiffer, which puts us at risk of heart attacks, strokes and ultimately - death.

High cholesterol is usually completely symptom-free and only picked up on a blood test known as a 'lipid profile' - just one of the reasons why it's super important not to miss out on your blood tests when called.

FINDING THE BALANCE