Symptoms of Lipid Disorders

Lipid disorders usually do not cause symptoms.

In extreme cases, the following signs or symptoms may be found by medical history or physical exam:

Fatty deposits in the skin or tendons caused by very high levels of lipids in the blood
Pain, enlargement, or swelling (inflammation) of abdominal organs such as the liver or pancreas due to extremely high levels of triglycerides in the blood
Changes in the blood vessels of the eye caused by elevated lipids
Cholesterol deposits around the cornea of the eye.

References

Hypercholesterolemia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us. Updated September 9, 2012. Accessed September 12, 2012.

Symptoms, diagnosis, and monitoring of high cholesterol. American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/SymptomsDiagnosisMonitoringofHighCholesterol/Symptoms-Diagnosis-and-Monitoring-of-High-Cholesterol%5FUCM%5F001214%5FArticle.jsp. Accessed September 12, 2012.

What is cholesterol? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbc. Accessed September 12, 2012.

Revision Information

Reviewer: Brian Randall, MD
Review Date: 10/2012
Update Date: 10/11/2012

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.