Does Cholesterol Level 7.4 Mean

Ratio And Risk For Women

Because women often have higher levels of good cholesterol, their cholesterol ratio risk categories differ. According to the same study, a 4.4 ratio indicates average risk for heart disease in women. Heart disease risk for women doubles if their ratio is 7, while a ratio of 3.3 signifies roughly half the average risk.

Testing Your Blood Cholesterol

Your serum cholesterol is measured with a simple blood test. A doctor draws blood from your arm enough to fill one or more little vials. The blood samples are sent to a lab for analysis. Before your blood draw youll need to fast for at least eight hours.

A healthy adult should have a blood test that includes a serum cholesterol check every four to six years. As you get older, your doctor may advise you to have your cholesterol, and other markers of health like your blood pressure, checked every year. This is especially true if you have risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These factors include:

• obesity
• smoking
• family history of heart disease

If you start a new medication or change medications meant to manage your cholesterol, youll probably have more frequent cholesterol checks. Serum cholesterol tests can show whether the medication is working.

It usually takes several days or even a few weeks to get your blood test results back. Your lab report will show your serum cholesterol levels in milligrams per deciliter . Your serum cholesterol includes:

• LDL level
• HDL level
• 20 percent of your triglyceride level

The lower the LDL level and the higher the HDL level, the better. LDL is the type of cholesterol that forms waxy plaque on the inside wall of an artery. Too much plaque can limit blood flow through that artery.

Learn more: Is it a stroke or a heart attack? »

Heres what you should look for in your results:

healthy serum cholesterol

Are Home Cholesterol Testing Kits Accurate

The answer is yes if the tests are labeled CDC-certified. This means that the contents have been approved by the Cholesterol Reference Method Laboratory Network, a group that works with test makers, laboratories and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make sure tests are accurate.

For home tests, you will still need to fast for 12 hours and to obtain blood for testing. Some kits come with packages for mailing to a lab for results. Other kits have a monitor so you can get the results at home. The cost of such home kits vary.

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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of High Cholesterol

High cholesterol generally doesnt have obvious symptoms, but it can increase the risk of serious health conditions if left untreated. Thats why its important to get a blood test and regular check-ups. If you are 45 or older , see your doctor for a cholesterol test as part of a Heart Health Check. If you have a family history of high cholesterol, speak to your GP about your heart disease risk.

Another Type Of Fat Found In The Blood Mainly From The Food We Eat

Whats healthy? Less than 1.7 mmol/L ideally on a fasting sample, or less than 2.3 mmol/L on a non-fasting sample.

What should I do? Very high triglyceride levels can cause a painful condition called pancreatitis. People can have raised levels for many reasons, but the most common reasons are lifestyle-related:

• Being apple-shaped .
• Developing or having type 2 diabetes.

• Excessive alcohol consumption.

You can keep your triglyceride levels low by losing weight, being more active and eating sensibly, especially by cutting back on alcohol, sugary foods and saturated fats, and eating more fruits, vegetables, pulses and wholegrains.

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Can Bad Cholesterol Levels Be Too Low Can Good Cholesterol Levels Be Too High

It isnt often that people have bad cholesterol that is too low or good cholesterol that is too high. There are studies being done that suggest that extremes of any kind are not healthy for everyone.

Even though there is no clear-cut number about what LDL level is too low, levels under 40 mg/dL may be associated with certain health issues, including depression/anxiety, and hemorrhagic stroke.

However, there is data from clinical trials to support that there is no evidence of harm when LDLs remain < 40mg/dl on statin therapy.

In some cases, genetic conditions can cause you to have very low cholesterol levels. In other cases, nutritional problems, some cancers, hypothyroidism and certain infections can also cause low cholesterol levels. In any of these types of situations, the underlying issues need to be addressed.

In terms of having too much of a good thing, researchers are studying the effects of too much HDL, the good cholesterol. No conclusions have been reached, but there have been studies into the possible relationship between high HDL and cancer, and a greater risk of heart attack among the high risk. Excessively high HDL may be dysfunctional HDL and not protective.

Normal Cholesterol Range In Australia

High cholesterol carries no signs or symptoms, and youâll need a blood test to diagnose it. As a guide, health authorities recommend cholesterol levels should be no higher than 5.5 mmol per litre if there are no other risk factors present, or LDL levels less than 2 mmol/l for those who smoke, have high blood pressure or pre-existing heart disease.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 6.1% of all Australians had high cholesterol in 2017-18, a decline from 7.1% in 2014-15, and we fall into the middle rankings compared to other countries.

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How Can I Lower My Cholesterol

There are two main ways to lower your cholesterol:

• Heart-healthy lifestyle changes, which include:
• Heart-healthy eating. A heart-healthy eating plan limits the amount of saturated and trans fats that you eat. Examples include the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet and the DASH Eating Plan.
• Weight Management. If you are overweight, losing weight can help lower your LDL cholesterol.
• Physical Activity. Everyone should get regular physical activity .
• Managing stress. Research has shown that chronic stress can sometimes raise your LDL cholesterol and lower your HDL cholesterol.
• Quitting smoking.Quitting smoking can raise your HDL cholesterol. Since HDL helps to remove LDL cholesterol from your arteries, having more HDL can help to lower your LDL cholesterol.
• Drug Treatment. If lifestyle changes alone do not lower your cholesterol enough, you may also need to take medicines. There are several types of cholesterol medicines available, including statins. The medicines work in different ways and can have different side effects. Talk to your health care provider about which one is right for you. While you are taking medicines to lower your cholesterol, you should continue with the lifestyle changes.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Who Should Be Tested

Your GP may recommend that you have your blood cholesterol levels tested if you:

• have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, stroke or mini-stroke , or peripheral arterial disease
• are over the age of 40 people over 40 should have their estimate of CVD risk reviewed regularly
• have a family history of early cardiovascular disease for example, if your father or brother developed heart disease or had a heart attack or stroke before the age of 55, or if your mother or sister had these conditions before the age of 65
• have a close family member who has a cholesterol-related condition, such as familial hypercholesterolaemia
• are overweight or obese
• have high blood pressure or diabetes
• have another medical condition, such as kidney disease, an underactive thyroid, or an inflamed pancreas these conditions can cause increased levels of cholesterol or triglycerides

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Testing For High Cholesterol

A simple blood test to assess cholesterol levels can be done by your family doctor or at a medical clinic. Your doctor will likely assess other risk factors for cardiovascular disease at the same time. A sample of blood is taken from a vein and is sent to a laboratory for testing. Cholesterol tests may be done using a finger prick of blood, however this is not as accurate as testing blood from a vein.

Blood cholesterol tests can be “fasting” or “non-fasting”. Fasting tests require the person not to have eaten for a period of time prior to the test being taken and give more accurate results than non-fasting tests.

New Zealand health guidelines for acceptable blood cholesterol levels are:

• LDL-cholesterol less than 2.0 mmol/L
• HDL-cholesterol greater than 1.0 mmol/L
• Triglycerides less than 1.7 mmol/L
• Total cholesterol less than 4.0 mmol/L
• Total cholesterol/HDL ratio less than 4.0.

Is My Cholesterol Level Too High

Levels of blood cholesterol are measured in millimols/litre, against which

the risks of heart disease are calculated.

As a rule of thumb, less than 5.2

is low, 5.2-6.5 is average, 6.5-7.8 is moderately high and greater than 7.8

is very high.

Getting your cholesterol level to 5.2 or below is the ideal,

but it is very much dependent on other risk factors. For example, a

cholesterol level of 6.4 might be acceptable in a fit person with no other

risk factors, but might be wrongly high for someone who has angina, or whose

family has a history of early heart attacks.

As long as you continue to eat a low fat diet, I really wouldn’t worry about

your cholesterol level at its current level of 5.5 – most of the population

has a similar level or higher. However a test in a year or so wouldn’t harm,

as you can seek medical advice early if you notice an upwards trend.

As well as eating a low fat diet you can also help to lower cholesterol by

not smoking (in fact smoking is strongly predictive of heart disease in its

own right). Increasing intake of soluble fibre from foods such as oats,

baked beans, grapefruits and apples will also help.

Moderate alcohol consumption – equivalent to one or two glasses of wine a

day – can increase levels of beneficial high density lipoprotein which

scavenge and remove cholesterol from the body.

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What Are The Symptoms Of High Cholesterol

Lifestyle factors include:

• an unhealthy diet– eating too much saturated fat is thought to increase levels of LDL or bad cholesterol
• lack of exercise – this can also increase your levels of LDL
• obesity – being overweight often means you also have higher levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and a lower level of the good HDL.
• drinking too much alcohol
• smoking – if you smoke, a chemical in cigarettes called acrolein stops the good HDL from moving fatty deposits to your liver

Underlying conditions

• kidney disease

• transient ischaemic attack – or a mini stroke
• peripheral arterial disease

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What Are Normal Levels Of Cholesterol

Normal levels of cholesterol are different depending on your age and sex. These guidelines show desirable total, non-HDL,LDL and HDL levels by age and sex.

Table 1: Target cholesterol levels by age and sex

Age and sex

cholesterol

cholesterol

People aged 19 years and younger Men aged 20 years and olderWomen aged 20 years and older

The table above spells out the numbers for normal cholesterol levels. The table below shows you cholesterol levels that are higher than normal. High cholesterol numbers vary by age group and sex, and may be different for those who have heart disease. These guidelines represent high cholesterol numbers for those who do not have heart disease.

Table 2: High total, non-HDL and LDL cholesterol levels by age and sex

Age and sex
People aged 19 years and younger

Borderline: 170-199 mg/dL

High: Greater than or equal to 200 mg/dL

Borderline: 120-144 mg/dL

High: Greater than or equal to 145 mg/dL

Borderline: 110-129 mg/dL

High: Greater than or equal to 130 mg/dL

High: Greater than or equal to 239 mg/dL

Near optimal or above optimal: 100-129 mg/dL

Borderline high: 130-159 mg/dL

Very high: Greater than 189 mg/dL

High: Greater than or equal to 239 mg/dL

Near optimal or above optimal: 100-129 mg/dL

Borderline high: 130-159 mg/dL

Very high: Greater than 189 mg/dL

LDL cholesterol levels

If you do not have heart disease or blood vessel disease, and you are not at high risk for developing heart disease, the optimal number is less than 100 mg/dL.

Triglycerides

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How Is The Total Cholesterol Or Blood Cholesterol Test Done

A blood test is a routine test. A phlebotomist is the person whose job it is to draw blood. Blood is usually drawn from the vein in your arm. You will sit down and the phlebotomist will wrap a rubber band around your upper arm so that the vein in your elbow sticks out. Then they will use a needle to puncture the vein and remove blood. The blood is sent to the lab to be examined.

Youve probably been at health fairs where testing is offered. In that case, the person performing the test takes a drop of blood from your finger. The finger stick test uses a small blade to poke a hole in the tip of your finger to get the blood.

Total Cholesterol 47 Hdl 15ratio 32 No Ldl Figureswhat Do These Numbers Mean

Here we go,

What cholesterol results should you expect?

In order to understand the risk that cholesterol poses to your health it is important to know your numbers: Your surgery may only tell you there is nothing to worry about or they may only give you your total cholesterol figure. Be sure to ask them for all the results they have and keep a note of them. As a minimum you should know your total cholesterol and a measure of your HDL cholesterol.

Total Cholesterol the total amount of cholesterol in your blood ideally less than 5 mmol/L .

LDL Cholesterol the amount of LDL -cholesterol or bad cholesterol ideally less than 3 mmol/L .

HDL Cholesterol the amount of HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol – ideally over 1mmol/L over 1.2mmol/L .

TC:HDL ratio This is the TC figure divided by the HDL-C figure. A ratio over 6 is considered high risk – the lower this figure is the better.

Triglyceride – This reflects your bodys ability to clear fat from the blood after a meal. Ideally it should be below 1.7mmol/L when fasting between 8 12 hours.

You need to look at the medical condition for every individual!, age, BMI and many more before looking to take any action on cholesterol!

The blood test numbers may be confusing, you need to side down with your GP or a practice nurse to fully understand all the blood test numbers.

good luck.

Don’t take my word for it see for yourself by watching a program called ‘ Statin Nation’ just YouTube and you’ll find it.

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Further Information And Support

For assessment and treatment of high cholesterol levels see a doctor. For ideas about how to lower high cholesterol levels a doctor or dietitian can assist.

Our Heart disease diet and Heart disease exercise pages provide practical ideas and ways to get started with healthier lifestyles in general, including cholesterol reduction.

Southern Cross Medical Library

The purpose of the Southern Cross Medical Library is to provide information of a general nature to help you better understand certain medical conditions. Always seek specific medical advice for treatment appropriate to you. This information is not intended to relate specifically to insurance or healthcare services provided by Southern Cross. For more articles go to the Medical Library index page.

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Cholesterol Levels Measurement Units

Cholesterol is typically measured in milligrams per deciliter .Millimoles per liter is the standard medical unit for measuring concentrations of substances in blood. It’s used in Canada and some European countries.Various publications use either one or the other unit and it can be confusing to understand the guidelines. Our cholesterol calculator is here to help you.

What Factors Affect Cholesterol Levels

A variety of factors can affect your cholesterol levels. They include:

• Diet: Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol in the food you eat increase cholesterol levels. Try to reduce the amount of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol in your diet. This will help lower your blood cholesterol level. Saturated and trans fat have the most impact on blood cholesterol.
• Weight: In addition to being a risk factor for heart disease, being overweight can also increase your triglycerides. Losing weight may help lower your triglyceride levels and raise your HDL.
• Exercise: Regular exercise can lower total cholesterol levels. Exercise has the most effect on lowering triglycerides and raising HDL. You should try to be physically active for 30 minutes on most days of the week.
• Age and sex: As we get older,cholesterol levels rise. Before menopause, women tend to have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After menopause, however, womens LDL levels tend to rise and HDL can drop.
• Heredity: Your genes partly determine how much cholesterol your body makes. High blood cholesterol can run in families.

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What Causes High Cholesterol

Many factors can increase your chances of having heart problems or a stroke if you have high cholesterol.

These include:

• an unhealthy diet in particular, eating high levels of saturated fat
• smoking a chemical called acrolin, found in cigarettes, stops HDL transporting cholesterol from fatty deposits to the liver, leading to narrowing of the arteries
• having diabetes or high blood pressure
• having a family history of stroke or heart disease

There’s also an inherited condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia. This can cause high cholesterol even in someone who eats healthily.

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