Cholesterol Test (Lipid profile) - Redcliffe labs

A cholesterol test or lipid profile test is a diagnostic test that estimates the levels of total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and VLDL in your blood sample. This important routine test should be conducted at regular intervals as high cholesterol levels can lead to heart attack and stroke. High triglycerides, low levels of HDL cholesterol, and borderline high levels of LDL cholesterol are some of the common forms of dyslipidemia in India. According to a study by ICMR, around 72% of Indians have low HDL (good cholesterol) levels. Every fifth Indian is known to die of a heart attack because around 79% of the Indian population has abnormal blood lipid levels. With the increasing risk of heart diseases, heart attack, and stroke, it is very important for you to know about your cholesterol levels to manage them efficiently. Therefore, this article let us know about cholesterol and its diagnostic test, the need for the test, factors that affect lipid levels, optimum cholesterol levels, treatment, and cost. 

What is a Cholesterol Test?

The cholesterol blood test, also known as lipid profile or lipid panel, is a diagnostic test performed in a laboratory to evaluate the levels of different types of cholesterol in your body. The synthesis of cholesterol in the body takes place in the liver. Apart from the production in the body, having a diet rich in fat fibres can also contribute to the increasing cholesterol levels in your body. The increased cholesterol levels in the blood interfere with normal body functioning. This makes monitoring and managing the levels of cholesterol very important.

What is cholesterol?

The waxy, fat-like substance in every cell of your body is known as cholesterol. Cholesterol is an essential compound in your body that helps carry out functions like the production of hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help in the digestion of food. Your body prepares all the cholesterol that it requires to carry out its functions by itself. Thus, the cholesterol added to your diet increases the levels of cholesterol present in your body. The increased cholesterol levels combine with the other substances in your blood-forming plaques. The plaque formation can cause atherosclerosis because of sticking to the walls of the arteries. When these plaques stick to the wall of the arteries, they narrow and block the artery, which may lead to heart diseases like coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke. 

Why is a cholesterol test conducted?

A doctor generally prescribes a lipid panel blood test to analyse whether or not you are at a higher risk of the development of heart diseases. This is because the elevated levels of cholesterol in your blood increase your risk of developing heart diseases. Different types of cholesterols can be tested in a cholesterol blood test and these are:

• LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels: The low-density lipoprotein block arteries and is thus known as the bad cholesterol.
• HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels: HDL helps your body manage bad cholesterol levels; therefore, HDL is often known as good cholesterol.
• Total cholesterol levels: These levels depict the total amount of good and bad cholesterol present in your bloodstream.
• Triglycerides levels: This form of cholesterol makes you more susceptible to the development of heart diseases.
• VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels: These are also bad cholesterol linked to plaque development in the arteries.

What are the causative factors for high cholesterol levels?

A cholesterol blood test is generally recommended if you have one or more of the following risk factors:

• If you are overweight or obese, you are at a higher risk of developing high cholesterol levels.
• If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, that is, you are not physically active
• An unhealthy diet or lack of nutrition is another major cause of high cholesterol levels.
• Chances of hyperlipidemia increase in diabetic and prediabetic people.
• A family history of heart attacks or high cholesterol can make you more prone to hyperlipidemia.
• If you are a smoker, you are more likely to have high cholesterol levels 
• If you are aged above 45 years in case of males and above 50 years in case of females
• Hypertension, that is, high blood pressure, also suggests that you are at a high risk of high cholesterol levels. 
• You can also be recommended for a lipid profile test to diagnose other health conditions like hypothyroidism, chronic kidney disease, and pancreatitis.

What is the optimum range of cholesterol required in the body?

The optimum range of cholesterol in your body varies depending on the different types of cholesterol. The optimum levels of total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides in a lipid profile test are different.

Total cholesterol levels:

• Total cholesterol levels less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) are considered normal.
• The total cholesterol levels between 201 mg/dL to 240 mg/dL is considered borderline.
• The total cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dL are considered high.

High-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) levels:

• The levels of HDL greater than 60 mg/dL are considered good. Good cholesterol protects you against heart disease.
• The HDL levels between 40 mg/dL to 59 mg/dL are considered average, whereas levels lower than 40 mg/dL increase your chances of heart disease.

Low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) levels:

• The LDL levels lower than 100 mg/dL are considered ideal.
• The LDL levels between 100 mg/dL to 129 mg/dL are considered normal, depending on your health.
• The LDL levels between 130 mg/dL to 159 mg/dL are considered borderline high, whereas levels more than 160 mg/dL is considered high.

Triglyceride levels:

• According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the levels of triglycerides lower than 150 mg/dL are considered good for health.
• The triglyceride levels between 151 mg/dL to 200 mg/dL mean that you are more prone to developing heart diseases.
• The triglyceride levels greater than 200 mg/dL increase your risk of heart disease.

How can I interpret the results of my cholesterol test?

The cholesterol test is simple to interpret. High cholesterol levels increase your risk of stroke, heart disease, or atherosclerosis. Abnormal cholesterol levels may indicate your doctor towards a blood glucose test to check for the possibility of diabetes.

How is high cholesterol levels treated?

If you have abnormally high cholesterol levels, it is essential to manage your cholesterol levels to reduce your risk of heart disease. Lifestyle modifications and medicines are one of the major treatment options available for reducing your high cholesterol levels.

Dietary modifications

You will be required to make certain changes in your diet to reduce your cholesterol levels. The dietary changes that can help in reducing cholesterol levels include:

• The intake of saturated fats should not be more than 7% of your total calorie intake per day.
• You must completely avoid the intake of trans fat, referred to as the partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list.
• Be aware of what you eat, as the food that says low or no cholesterol can be high in sugar or saturated fats.

Regular exercise

You must lead an active life. Regular exercise is very important to prevent most of the major disorders. Performing routine exercises and managing weight can help lower triglyceride levels in your blood. Therefore, make sure that you include exercise in your daily routine.

Medicines

Apart from lifestyle changes, medicines can also help in lowering the level of cholesterol in your blood. However, with a healthy lifestyle, you can surely reduce the dosage of your medicines. There are a variety of medicines that your doctor can prescribe you.

Statins

• These are the most commonly used drugs for cholesterol levels.
• They work by inhibiting your liver from producing cholesterol.
• Often a liver function test is recommended when statins are prescribed to ensure that no side effect is caused to your liver.
• The most commonly used statins are fluvastatin, pitavastatin, atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, simvastatin, and rosuvastatin.

Niacin

• These drugs increase the level of good cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in your blood.
• These drugs are often given in large doses to improve efficacy.
• The drugs may cause side effects like an upset stomach or skin flushing.

Fibrates

• Fibrates are the fibric acid derivatives that increase the HDL / good cholesterol levels and also reduce the levels of triglycerides and LDL (bad cholesterol).

Bile acid sequestrants

• These work by reducing total cholesterol and LDL levels in your blood.
• They are also commonly known as cholestyramine and colestipol.
• These can be given in combination with statins.

PCSK9 inhibitors

• These cholesterol-lowering drugs are prescribed when statins and dietary modifications do not help lower blood cholesterol levels.
• PCSK9 inhibitors can also be used in patients with clinical atherosclerotic heart disease.
• These drugs work by blocking the PCSK9 protein, thereby hindering the ability of the liver to remove LDL cholesterol from the blood. Thus, PCSK9 inhibitors reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in the bloodstream.
• Examples of PCSK9 inhibitor drugs are evolocumab and alirocumab.

Triglyceride medicines

• Your doctor might prescribe triglyceride medicines in case your triglyceride levels are higher than 500 mg/dL in the blood.

LDL apheresis

• These are blood cleansing procedures that are used for the treatment of severe genetic cholesterol disorders.
• In this procedure, blood is removed from the body and cleansed to remove low-density lipoproteins. The blood is then returned to your body.
• Repeating this treatment every 2 to 3 weeks can reduce your cholesterol levels by 50 - 80%.
• This treatment is costly and time taking.

What is the lipid test cost?

The lipid test is done through a blood sample. You can easily get a lipid panel blood test done at Redcliffe Labs, where the lipid test cost is approximately Rs. 375/-, which under special discounts, is available at Rs. 150/- only.

Takeaway

High cholesterol levels are a serious condition that can lead to fatal complications like heart attack and stroke. Therefore, you need to get your cholesterol levels tested regularly if you are at a higher risk of developing high cholesterol levels. Now that you know the factors that make you more prone to increased cholesterol levels, their treatment, diagnostic test, and cost, make sure that you take care of these things. Regular exercise, dietary modifications, and a healthy lifestyle can help you in managing your cholesterol levels efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• What does a lipid test show?

The lipid test is done to estimate total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, VLDL, and triglycerides levels in the blood sample.

• What does it mean if my lipids are high?

High levels of lipids indicate that you are at a higher risk of developing heart diseases, heart attack, and stroke.

• Is fasting required for lipid profile?

A lipid profile test may require you to fast for at least 10 to 12 hours before taking the test. However, lipid tests can be done even when you are not fasting.