How to Test for High Cholesterol?

How to Test for High Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a strange animal.  When testing for cholesterol, you are not testing for a disease but you are testing for the chance of getting diseases caused by cholesterol. 

A cholesterol test is considered preventative health care and not a test to determine that you have a disease, just the possibility of having the disease in the future. 

A cholesterol test can be ordered during your yearly exam and are usually recommended every five years or so. 

The test will look at your HDL, your LDL, and triglycerides.  If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, the tests are more frequent so the doctor can monitor if the medications or diet change is actually helping to reduce your high cholesterol.

The test is simply a blood draw after you have been fasting for at least twelve hours.  This means a complete fast with nothing but water.  Even a bite of bagel or a swallow of coffee can skew the results.  When the results do come back they will have a number assigned to them so that you can see the extent of how high your cholesterol is and if you need to start preventative measures. 

If you have cholesterol score of 200 or below then you are in no danger or at very low risk for heart disease.  You still to watch your diet and do not think this is a free ticket for you to start eating at fast food restaurants every day.  It means that your diet and lifestyle is good enough to keep your cholesterol low, so do not change a thing.

If you have a cholesterol level between 201 and 240 you are in the borderline high area and you need to consult with your doctor what the course of action is.  Your doctor will probably want another blood test to determine your lipid profile.  This will allow the doctor to see if the high cholesterol is from the HDL or LDL type.  If it is LDL cholesterol that has caused the high levels, the doctor may want you to change your diet and exercise more.  This suggestion would be if it was closer to 200 than the 240 mark.  If you are closer to 240 the doctor might suggest that you start taking medications that could lower the LDL cholesterol.

If your cholesterol rating is above 240, you are at high risk for heart disease and other complications.  Again the doctor will order a lipid profile to see if it is the HDL or LDL that are causing the high numbers.  Now you will probably be ordered to start taking medications by the doctor.  An extreme diet and life style change is now necessary to bring those numbers down.  If you are this high, you really need to be serious about treating yourself.  The danger of heart disease, especially if you are predisposed to it because of heredity can put your life at risk.  Start by eating the right foods.  Start exercising, and remember to take your medications everyday.  The shock of you missing your medications can spike your cholesterol count and could cause a stroke or heart attack quicker than predicted.

The test is simple and nothing to afraid of.  If you have never had a blood draw, the nurse simply ties off your upper arm with a rubber strap and after swabbing the inside or your elbow, the nurse will use a small hypodermic needle to extract the blood.  The blood is drawn and taken to a lab for analysis.  You usually can get results in a couple of days.  There is just a sharp jab during the procedure and it usually has little pain and is over is just a second.  The procedure takes about five minutes and that is just a little time that could save your life.