You took a home cholesterol test, or went to the doctor, got tested, and were given cholesterol numbers. What exactly do they mean? What's good and what's bad? What do these seemingly arbitrary numbers actually mean? Click ahead to find out.
Cholesterol numbers are not arbitrary. They are a specific measuring of milligrams of lipoprotein per deciliter of your blood. There are 3 types of lipoproteins measured in the typical cholesterol test: LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides, (which are actually the most common form of fat in the body.)
HDL is the good cholesterol. It actually helps get rid of the LDL, which is bad cholesterol. The ideal HDL is 60 milligrams per deciliter or higher. A lower number is a problem. In LDL the ideal is less than 100 milligrams per deciliter of blood. Anything higher is a problem. Triglycerides are recommended to be at less than 150 milligrams per deciliter.
A problem in these numbers does not indicate an immediate emergency. Every patient is different and has different needs. Only consulting with a doctor will tell the full story of your cholesterol numbers.
Watch this recent video about cholesterol testing from our Open House on the CardioChek PA!
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