PCOS and Skin Tags: How They're Related
Skin tags on women can be a sign of a hormonal condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). As we enter PCOS awareness month in September, let’s explore the connection between skin tags and PCOS.
Understanding the Close Connection Between High Cholesterol and Liver Disease
If you’re working to maintain or improve your cholesterol readings, you know that living a healthy lifestyle is critical to preventing or lowering high cholesterol. You might not also know that your liver, the organ located to the right of your stomach, also plays a critical role in cholesterol levels.
According to cholesterol and chronic disease specialist Thomas Nguyen, MD, from Nguyen Medical Group in Boynton Beach, Florida, high cholesterol can cause liver disease, and liver problems can cause problems with managing your cholesterol. In recognition of National Liver Awareness Month, discover more about how liver disease and high cholesterol are closely linked.
What is high cholesterol?
High cholesterol readings indicate you have overly high levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol. You can also have cholesterol problems if your HDL, known as good cholesterol, is at too low a level.
Healthy levels of cholesterol keep your body healthy, but when your levels are off, cholesterol gets stuck in your arteries. Over time, these blockages can lead to numerous potentially serious health complications.
What is liver disease?
Liver disease refers to several different types of problems that can develop in your liver. When your liver is unable to filter toxins from your body effectively, you can develop liver disease.
Caught early, liver disease can be treated or managed with a combination of lifestyle changes and medication. Early symptoms of liver disease include:
- Fatigue
- Pain in your upper stomach near your liver
- Nausea
- Reduced appetite
- General feelings of malaise
In more advanced stages, you can show signs of jaundice, changes in color to your urine and poop, and swelling in your extremities. These can be warnings that your liver is failing and needs immediate care.
The link between liver disease and high cholesterol
Liver disease and high cholesterol can be closely connected. A healthy liver makes cholesterol and also helps regulate HDL and LDL levels using a substance called bile.
When your cholesterol levels are no longer in check, your liver struggles to do its job properly. This increases your risk of developing liver problems like fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
If you already have a liver disease, high cholesterol can make it worse and make it harder to manage. You’re at higher risk of dangerous complications.
If you have liver disease, you’re also at greater risk of developing high cholesterol, even if your levels were previously healthy. This is because your liver isn’t as able to effectively filter out cholesterol as when it's healthy.
Managing a healthy liver and cholesterol together
If you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol, our team checks your liver to see if it’s healthy. We also monitor your cholesterol closely if you have liver disease.
By managing your cholesterol and liver together, our team keeps both as healthy as possible and lowers the possibility of you developing more complications from either condition. Fortunately, high cholesterol and liver disease respond to similar lifestyle changes and medication.
If you have liver disease or high cholesterol, regular monitoring and treatment are essential to preserving your health. Contact us to get started with diagnosis and treatment.
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