When you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream it is called hypercholesterolemia. Cholesterol is a waxy substance found only in foods that come from animals. Hypercholesterolemia increases your risk of heart disease. The most common cause of high cholesterol is eating foods that are high in fat.
Excess cholesterol causes deposits to form inside blood vessels.
These deposits cause the blood vessels to narrow. Blood clots may form in these narrowed vessels and totally stop blood flow. When this happens in the heart it causes a heart attack. Hypercholesterolemia is a silent disease. There are no symptoms until complications have already developed, such as the chest pain of a heart attack or calf pain with walking, caused by narrowed or blocked arteries to the legs.