Help with cholesterol ratios.....

BibaBee

Well-Known Member
Messages
583
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, I'm hoping that someone can help decipher my husband's cholesterol results. We are over the moon with his latest HBA1c result of 41 just over 5 months after diagnosis and a score of 122! We just need to prepare for *that* conversation tomorrow at his diabetes review. Can anyone help make sense of the numbers for us? Serum cholesterol up from 5.2 in June, up to 5.4 in July and now to 5.8. He has also lost a whopping 20kg since diagnosis, so could this be at play here ? And this wasn't a fasting cholesterol test......should it have been? @bulkbiker can you help?

Serum cholesterol
5.8 mmol/L
Abnormal

Serum HDL cholesterol level
1.3 mmol/L
Normal

Serum triglycerides
2.0 mmol/L
Abnormal

Serum LDL cholesterol level
3.6 mmol/L
Abnormal

Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio
4.46
Normal
06 Nov 2018

Se non HDL cholesterol level
4.5 mmol/L
N/A
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi @BibaBee
If it wasn't fasting then I'm afraid its pretty meaningless..I'm surprised they did a full lipid panel if he hadn't fasted beforehand.
The things I would usually look at would be the Triglyceride/HDL ratio but as the trigs can be artificially elevated by eating before the blood is taken then I'm afraid in this case no conclusions should be drawn.
If he doesn't want the dreaded statins then he is quite at liberty to listen to the GP but then decide not to have them. I would ask for another three months and then have another test done and this time fast for 10-14 hours beforehand.
My last total cholesterol was 6.3 but even my GP who called for that "statin" conversation didn't seem that fussed about it so in your husbands case make a big play about the weight loss and HbA1c improvement and then stall for time.
If you really want to freak the GP out the ask if your hubs can have a CAC scan which will show up any arterial plaque and is a far better indicator of future heart disease than "cholesterol" ( mainly because without cholesterol we'd all be dead!).

I have a detailed thread about why I don't think statins are a good idea for almost anyone.. it's here if you want to delve deeper.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/
 
  • Like
Reactions: BibaBee

BibaBee

Well-Known Member
Messages
583
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thank you @bulkbiker . You pretty much confirmed what I thought. Don't think I'd persuade him to have a scan.....he's terrified enough of any tests as it is!
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you @bulkbiker . You pretty much confirmed what I thought. Don't think I'd persuade him to have a scan.....he's terrified enough of any tests as it is!
I would imagine though the doctor may never have heard of it.. so if you want to shut the doc up....part of my cunning plan!.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BibaBee

Sarah69

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,441
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Anything healthy!
Hi, when I had my follow up from my annual review I asked for my cholesterol level and they only had one from 2016 which was 3.1. If it’s that low why do I need to take statins, it was never high to start with!
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, when I had my follow up from my annual review I asked for my cholesterol level and they only had one from 2016 which was 3.1. If it’s that low why do I need to take statins, it was never high to start with!

A total cholsterol of 3.1 is too low in my opinion, especially for a woman. I suggest you ask for a full lipid panel (HDL/LDL and triglycerides) and then make a decision on whether to stop your statins. As a diabetic you should be having cholesterol tests annually at the very least.
 

Sarah69

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,441
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Anything healthy!
A total cholsterol of 3.1 is too low in my opinion, especially for a woman. I suggest you ask for a full lipid panel (HDL/LDL and triglycerides) and then make a decision on whether to stop your statins. As a diabetic you should be having cholesterol tests annually at the very least.

A full lipid panel is that another blood test? Well the dr I saw said the cholesterol test is done at my annual appt, but I had that around June time this year but the only result was from 2016!
 

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
A full lipid panel is that another blood test? Well the dr I saw said the cholesterol test is done at my annual appt, but I had that around June time this year but the only result was from 2016!

I suggest you chase the results up at your surgery. Sometimes people get just the standard Total Cholesterol and non HDL but this tells us nothing. What we should have is Total Cholesterol, non HDL, LDL, HDL and Triglycerides with the ratio of HDL to Triglycerides level. They do this lipid panel from the same blood draw they use to find HbA1c and all the other numbers (liver, kidney function etc etc).
 

Sarah69

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,441
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Anything healthy!
I suggest you chase the results up at your surgery. Sometimes people get just the standard Total Cholesterol and non HDL but this tells us nothing. What we should have is Total Cholesterol, non HDL, LDL, HDL and Triglycerides with the ratio of HDL to Triglycerides level. They do this lipid panel from the same blood draw they use to find HbA1c and all the other numbers (liver, kidney function etc etc).

I will try and get this break down at my surgery but I’ve tried to get an hba1c from there before and they’ve told me they don’t have access to the hospital records, as this is where I go for all my diabetes check ups. I don’t get told told about any other tests they do with my blood so I just assume everything is ok.

My mum goes to the same hospital clinic and she doesn’t get told her cholesterol level either!
 

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
I will try and get this break down at my surgery but I’ve tried to get an hba1c from there before and they’ve told me they don’t have access to the hospital records, as this is where I go for all my diabetes check ups. I don’t get told told about any other tests they do with my blood so I just assume everything is ok.

My mum goes to the same hospital clinic and she doesn’t get told her cholesterol level either!

The government has stated that patients have a right to see blood test results so if you get no joy at your surgery I would try asking for the phone number of the Practice Manager. Your results should have forwarded from the hospital to your GP. Good Luck.
 

DCUKMod

Master
Staff Member
Messages
14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
@BibaBee - I see @bulkbiker has already helped you out. Just in addition, I find this calculator to be very helpful for a quick analysis: http://www.hughcalc.org/chol-si.php

My lipid tests are always done fasted, as I trundle off to the hospital to have them done, and their walk-in service opens at 08:00. My total cholesterol is always what my GP and I have agreed to call "an inconveniently large number", but all the constituents are pretty decent.
 

jjraak

Expert
Messages
7,442
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Just in addition, I find this calculator to be very helpful for a quick analysis: http://www.hughcalc.org/chol-si.php
.
Nice post DCUK, most illuminating.

edit;
my APOLOGIES, dcuk..that is way more then just a nice post..THAT is cracking information.

Spent a good bit hunting down all my blood stats,..not only does it match up, but it indicates whether level are normal, borderline or heading into unsafe waters.

Exactly what i was looking for in a previous post.

Highly recommended site.

Many thanks for posting up.,
 
Last edited:

BibaBee

Well-Known Member
Messages
583
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
@BibaBee - I see @bulkbiker has already helped you out. Just in addition, I find this calculator to be very helpful for a quick analysis: http://www.hughcalc.org/chol-si.php

My lipid tests are always done fasted, as I trundle off to the hospital to have them done, and their walk-in service opens at 08:00. My total cholesterol is always what my GP and I have agreed to call "an inconveniently large number", but all the constituents are pretty decent.

Thank you. Thankfully, the DN was quite relaxed about it, no mention of the dreaded statins yet. Next time, we'll insist on a morning appointment and fast beforehand.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DCUKMod

jjraak

Expert
Messages
7,442
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Biba bee.

if i am not out of turn, i'd use that DCUK posted site and input your husbands numbers.
it might make a tad more sense, once you see results.