Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Diagnosis of Cholesterol

After a twelve hour fast, (such as when you are asleep), a blood sample is taken to find out the level of cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood. The cholesterol ratio should not be taken on its own as a predictor of the risk of heart attack or stroke. Smoking, body mass index (weight related to height), blood pressure, diabetes and any ECG (electrocardiogram) abnormalities are equally important.

Blood cholesterol checks should be done in people with:

• A family history of cholesterol disorders
• A history of many heart attacks in the family, especially if some of these have occurred at a young age
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Thick yellow patches (xanthomas) around the eyes or elsewhere on the skin. (These are cholesterol deposits and can often be seen in some patients with inherited or familial cholesterol.)
• High blood pressure
• Acute inflammation of the pancreas (acute pancreatitis).

Some people may have a high blood cholesterol level, but still have a low cardiovascular risk due to the absence of other risk factors, and a family medical history that is free from coronary disease. It is also worth bearing in mind that cholesterol levels rise slightly with age, and women often have a higher DL-cholesterol level than men. Women over the age of 45 and men over the age of 35 should have their blood cholesterol levels checked periodically.

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