High cholesterol: Two-finger problems named sign of condition

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High cholesterol can lead to serious health problems, including stroke and heart disease. Although the clinical signs of this condition are far from always present, doctors highlight several symptoms that you need to pay attention to. One of them is problems with two fingers on the hand.

As Dr. Deborah Lee explained, sometimes with high cholesterol, the little finger and ring finger stop expanding. This condition is known as Dupuytren's contracture, resulting in the fourth and fifth fingers being “permanently bent”.

“This is a type of hand deformity. The tendons that go to the fourth and fifth fingers on the palm are compressed, and so much that it is difficult for you to straighten them completely,” the doctor clarified.

She also noted that Dupuytren's contracture is most common in people with high cholesterol, but also associated with smoking, alcohol and diabetes. Other symptoms of Lee's condition included the appearance of a grayish-white rim around the cornea of ​​the eye, xanthomas on various parts of the face and body, and a weak pulse in the extremities.

Lee warned that high cholesterol is often only detected when a person comes to the hospital with a complication. You can establish this condition with the help of a blood test. But if one or more of the listed symptoms is observed, it is better not to postpone a trip to the doctor, the doctor added.