Husband cholesterol issue

[meganbee]

Hoping to get some advice. My husband had a blood test recently for gout. Doctor called on Thursday telling him his cholesterol is so high it was off the chart. He has been put on statins. DH is 51 5’10 14 stone. No symptoms. Does this seem right we are a bit shocked. Doctor was asking about smoking a lot, he has never smoked, drinking which he does but not excessively probably 3 times a week. He does no exercise but walks loads about 20,000 steps a day but not quickly. Does anyone think there could be an error? Just seems to have come out the blue. He has made a GP appointment next week just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?

What is his diet like? Red meat? Cheese? Pies? Processed food? I thought my diet was healthy but my cholesterol was high when tested. Have made a big difference with dietary changes. There are no symptoms with high cholesterol so it’s good he knows now and can address and monitor (statins and life style).

His diet probably isn’t the best, added cheese to pasta etc. Does have a sweet tooth. Not loads of pies and pastries unless they are out the house. Often has snack toast with butter or cheese on toast after tea. Not lots of red meat maybe twice a week sausage and mash, chilli etc I could understand If it had come back high and could be addressed with diet and exercise but off the scale straight on medication sounds really serious - worried he could have a heart attack anytime and doesn’t seem to fit.

Meant to say thank you for responding Busenburnerbaby

Probably genetic then not diet related. Since his diet seems average.

to difficult to enjoyably read www.england.nhs.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2019/08/3.2.2-West-Midlands-CCG-Collaborative-Commissioning-Paper-Familial-Hypercholesterolaemia-2016.pdf

www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/genetic-conditions/familial-hypercholesterolemia-fh

Thank you, will have a look and ask DH to ask GP about this

What were his levels? Mine were super high but by cutting out butter, cheese and limiting my saturated fat, my cholesterol has already done down by about 25%. His diet is probably worse than you think! There is likely also a genetic element.

Agree with @FrenchConnection1. How high are they? But statins are prescribed easily (for good reason) even when cholesterol only somewhat elevated. My levels were 8 and I was offered statins but I wanted to try lifestyle changes first for a few months but agreed to go on statins if they didn’t get low enough. They did drop down to below 5 within 3 months but I am now very careful about saturated fat consumption. I now know that a healthy cholesterol level is something I need to actively and always work to maintain, something I will need to keep an eye on, and I will go on statins later if I need to. Honestly it’s better he knows: cholesterol is an indicator of risk for cardiovascular disease: but if you KNOW it’s an issue you have a chance to change the course. Good luck to him. (Edited for clarity)

Thank you. He was literally told it was so high it was off the chart so he didn’t even get a number. Doctor seemed surprised and DH felt doctor was amazed he was still breathing. Hoping for more clarity at GP appointment. Definitely better to know so it can be addressed. I am sure diet must be worse than we think.

what is his HDL and LDL. Total cholesterol should always be looked at in the context of its components. If the HDL is way higher than the LDL its much less concerning than anything the other way around. Also, did they look at his triglycerides?

In any case, there are some people who genetically just have high cholesterol levels of both HDL and LDL, and these people have to manage their lifestyles much more carefully than 'normal' people. Your DH might be one of those types

Can he log onto his NHS app and see the test result numbers??

There is no such thing as off the chart for cholesterol. Ask him to look on his NHS app. The results will be on there.
If it is familial or extremely high, he will likely be referred to the lipid clinic

Oh, he should have a full lipid profile done and a Qrisk score.

It can also be caused by genetics, under active thyroid, high cortisol levels (stress) and all compounded by diet or poor sleep. I recently discovered my bad cholesterol was high, the one controlled by diet- perfect. I am at my target weight and exercise loads. But I'm 40+ , genetics play a huge part, and following family history, thyroid is becoming under active. And voila- I'm looking at tablets soon.

Also if it wasn't a fasting blood test, if he repeats it, he should fast as that can make a difference

It could just be genetic and he needs a statin. I guess at least they discovered it now and he can take action.

I was so shocked when I found out mine, I've not eaten a bit of butter since 😂

Thanks all, this is really helpful. Have loads of info to ask about at the GP.