Then, he or she may order one or more of the following tests. Your doctor orders a blood test called a lipid profile. The test, which requires you to fast the night before, measures levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides—as well as other markers of health. LDL and HDL cholesterol measured on non-fasting blood are also accurate except in people with increased triglyceride levels, who may need a more specialized lipid test.
If your levels are elevated, your doctor may ask about your family history, diet, exercise habits, and other aspects of your lifestyle. He or she may perform further tests to rule out other causes of elevated lipids, such as thyroid disease, liver disease, kidney disease, and medications. Lipid testing can give your doctor a sense of which foods you should avoid. If the results indicate that you have high levels of triglycerides, your physician is likely to recommend restricting refined carbohydrates, such as white rice and potatoes, as well as saturated and trans fats.
If your doctor wants to better understand your risk of a heart attack or stroke, and determine whether you might need intensive treatment, he or she may order advanced lipid testing. During this test, your doctor checks your blood not just for levels of LDL and HDL, but for the number, or concentration, of these lipoproteins and their sizes.
Some experts believe that this advanced assessment of lipoproteins is a more accurate predictor of cardiovascular disease then the basic lipid profile. To assess how a lipid disorder is affecting your health and whether you would benefit from treatment with medication, your doctor may order a coronary calcium score.
This test involves a CT scan focused just on the area of the heart, and uses X-rays to assess the amount of calcium in your coronary arteries. This exam enables your doctor to look for calcium deposits in the walls of your coronary arteries, which are an indication of the buildup of plaque that represents early coronary artery disease.
A carotid intima-media thickness test is an ultrasound exam that allows the doctor to measure the amount of plaque in the neck arteries. This measurement gives your doctor an idea of how likely you are to develop cardiovascular disease. The technician administering the test applies a thick gel to your neck, then moves a handheld device called a transducer up and down your neck. So if your results come back with elevated fatty acid concentrations and almost all patients who have metabolic syndrome do , then it points to an underlying problem with sugar regulation within the body -- either too much sugar or not enough insulin.
Another point worth mentioning is that there are some mutations that make some people very sensitive to sugar accumulation! This is often referred to as Metabolic Syndrome. Triglycerides - Your level of triglycerides will typically be higher if you've overeaten or drunk too much alcohol lately. High levels may also indicate diabetes or liver disease. High-Density Lipoprotein HDL - HDL particles help carry excess balls of fat from your bloodstream to your liver, where it can be broken down into components that your body can use for energy.
Low levels may mean high levels of blood fats hyperlipidemia , and high levels could mean high-risk factors for heart attacks and. Lipid panels test for cholesterol and triglycerides, which can help diagnose heart disease. The lipid panel aka lipid blood test is a series of three tests that measure the levels of fats in your bloodstream. It's done when you get routine blood work at any time during the year, or if you've been diagnosed with high cholesterol or coronary artery disease CAD.
The painless procedure requires only a prick of your finger and some blood wiped on an applicator stick. A lipid panel is the most common blood test for cardiovascular risk. It can also identify diseases such as polymyalgia rheumatica, gout, fungal infections in the heart tissue, or endocarditis - which are all identifiable medical conditions that can lead to sudden death.
A lipid panel tests for cholesterol, triglyceride, particle count, and other samples. An optimal lipid panel in a normal patient is a total cholesterol level of less than mg per deciliter combined with an LDL cholesterol of less than mg per deciliter.
In addition to the 3 measures mentioned above, there are many others including Apolipoprotein B or Lp a , calculated remnant cholesterol, and phospholipid. If you are already being treated for heart disease, you may have this test to see whether treatment is working. Your healthcare provider may also order other tests to look at how well your heart is working. These tests may include:.
Test results may vary depending on your age, gender, health history, the method used for the test, and other things. Your test results may not mean you have a problem.
Ask your healthcare provider what your test results mean for you. Here are the ranges for total cholesterol in adults:. The above numbers are general guidelines, because actual goals depend on the number of risk factors you have for heart disease.
This type of fat is actually good for you because it lowers your risk of heart disease. The higher the number, the lower your risk. High levels of triglycerides are linked with a higher heart disease risk. Here are the adult ranges:. If your cholesterol level is high, your doctor will recommend treatment and will recheck your cholesterol every so often. Often there are no signs.
Without a blood test, you may not know you have high levels of fat in your blood until you have a heart attack or a stroke. Some people with high lipid levels have yellowish, fatty bumps on their skin. The first ways to reduce your lipid levels are 1 eat less fat, 2 exercise regularly and 3 lose weight if you weigh too much. If you smoke, stop smoking. If these steps don't lower your LDL level enough, your doctor may have you take medicine to take the fat out of your blood.
Put more fiber in your diet. Fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber. Eat three to five servings of vegetables a day and two to four servings of fruits.
Aerobic exercises, such as walking, running, bicycling and swimming, are a good way to lower your blood cholesterol. Exercise also lowers your blood pressure, your blood sugar level and your stress level. If you weigh too much, aerobic exercise helps you burn calories.
That will help you lose weight. Aerobic exercise should be done on a regular basis: work up to exercising for 30 minutes at a time four or five times a week.
You can also exercise for a shorter time, such as 10 to 15 minutes. But if you exercise for only 10 to 15 minutes at a time, you need to exercise more often than four or five times a week. Medicines to lower your cholesterol level may be used if you are at high risk for heart disease or if your lipid levels don't drop after you have eaten a low-fat diet for a couple of months.
There are different kinds of medicine that lower cholesterol. You may need to take just one medicine or you may need to take more than one, depending on how high your cholesterol is. Your doctor will take blood tests every so often to check on your cholesterol level and find out if the medicine is working.
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