High cholesterol usually causes no symptoms - it is detected by blood tests. Complications include angina or heart attack, stroke (FAST), and peripheral artery disease; lifestyle changes and medications can lower risk.
Updated guidance on lowering high cholesterol: assess cardiovascular risk, start with lifestyle changes, use statins as first-line therapy, and add newer nonstatin drugs when needed.
A Complete Lipid Profile measures total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. Modern care uses these results plus your overall cardiovascular risk to guide lifestyle steps and, when needed, statin therapy.