Cholesterol HDL

Category:

Cholesterol, HDL

Description

Cholesterol is a steroid that is essential for life. It forms cellular membranes. It is also used by the body to make Vitamin D and hormones that are essential for development, growth, and reproduction. It also forms bile acids that are needed to absorb nutrients from food.

A small amount of your body’s fat circulates in the blood in the form of complex particles called lipoproteins. There are basically two important types of lipoproteins: High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) and Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL). Cholesterol, as a kind of fat, also has HDL and LDL varieties.

Cholesterol type HDL-C is taken in excess for disposal. For this reason is called good cholesterol. LDL-C type deposits in tissues and organs (bad cholesterol).
The liver produces the cholesterol needed to work properly, but the source for some cholesterol is the diet. If you have a predisposition for high cholesterol levels or if you eat too much of foods are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans unsaturated fats, then levels of cholesterol in your blood.
The extra cholesterol in your blood may deposit in plaques on the walls of blood vessels. This can narrow blood vessels, leading to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Cholesterol is not used to diagnose or monitor a disease but is used to estimate risk of developing a disease.

Its concentration is measured by means of analysis of a blood sample drawn from the vein in the arm. Sometimes cholesterol is measured using a drop of blood collected by puncturing the skin on a finger.

Purpose of the test

To determine the concentration of different types of cholesterol in the blood with the intention of screen for risk of developing heart disease

Adults should be tested at least once every five years if being treated for high cholesterol or have one or more risk factors for heart disease. Children and adolescents with risk factors should also have their cholesterol level checked.

This test is usually ordered together with other tests. A full lipid profile includes measurement of the actual levels of each type of fat in the body: HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides and others.

Cholesterol is tested at more frequent intervals in patients who have been prescribed diet and/or drugs to lower their cholesterol in order to know how well these measures are succeeding in lowering cholesterol to desired levels.

Reference range values

Low (high risk) <1.036 mmol/L
High (low risk) >=1.554 mmol/L

Abnormal findings

Most common causes of high cholesterol levels are:
• Genetic predisposition
• Excessive fat intake, saturated and trans unsaturated fats
• Pregnancy
• Consumption of some drugs such as anabolic steroids, beta blockers, epinephrine, oral contraceptives, and vitamin D.
Low levels can be the result of Malaria.
Test result levels are increased with age, male gender and during winter, while are lower during spring and summer.