Type 2 Cholesterol

[Flora123]

Hi. Can anyone make any sense if this please. I thought it should mention triglycerides. This was done non fasting for some reason

Serum cholesterol level 5.0 mmol/L
Serum HDL cholesterol level 2.2 mmol/L
Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio 2.3
Serum non high density lipoprotein cholesterol level 2.8 mmol/L

Thanks.

 

[bulkbiker]

Unfortunately that's not a full lipid panel so doesn't have all the info you need.
Had you fasted beforehand? I had but my results came back as "non fasting" but I asked for and got the full panel including trigs. My most recent results are

Serum cholesterol level
Serum cholesterol level 6.30 mmol/L [2.0 - 5.0]
Above high reference limit
LIPID PROFILE NON FASTING
Serum triglyceride levels 1.00 mmol/L [0.5 - 2.5]
Serum non high density lipoprotein cholesterol level 4.79 mmol/l
A non HDL cholesterol of 2.5 mmol/L is equivalent
to an LDL cholesterol of 1.8 mmol/L. Aim for at
least a 40% reduction in pre-treatment values.
Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio 4.2 [< 5.0]
Serum HDL cholesterol level 1.51 mmol/L
Calculated LDL cholesterol level 4.34 mmol/L [< 2.5]
Above high reference limit

@Bluetit1802 Is it possible to calculate the Trigs from the Non HDL figure (I can't remember) sorry. Although I'm pretty sure not...

 

[Flora123]

Thanks. It wasn’t fasting as done with other tests and I wasn’t told to fast. Frustrating that it only gives part of the picture. Is non hdl actually ldl?

 

[bulkbiker]

Thanks. It wasn’t fasting as done with other tests and I wasn’t told to fast. Frustrating that it only gives part of the picture. Is non hdl actually ldl?

If you don't fast then they certainly won't do a full lipid panel as the results for Trigs will be skewed by whatever you had eaten beforehand, which makes it a bit meaningless. Non HDL is a combo of Trigs and LDL but you need to know the value of one as its a calculation rather than a measured level. It uses something called the Freidewald formula.
https://www.mdcalc.com/ldl-calculated

 

[Bluetit1802]

@Bluetit1802 Is it possible to calculate the Trigs from the Non HDL figure (I can't remember) sorry. Although I'm pretty sure not...

Total cholesterol is HDL + LDL + 46% of trigs.
Non-HDL is LDL+ 46% of trigs so yes, you can work it out.

 

[bulkbiker]

Total cholesterol is HDL + LDL + 46% of trigs.
Non-HDL is LDL+ 46% of trigs so yes, you can work it out.

But you need one of the Trigs number or the LDL number surely? Just Non HDL wont help...

 

[Bluetit1802]

But you need one of the Trigs number or the LDL number surely? Just Non HDL wont help...

Sorry, yes of course you do. I hadn't read @Flora123 's post properly.

However, as her Non-HDL is only 2.8 she has nothing at all to worry about. The standard target is under 3.4. Her figures such as they are are excellent.

 

[Flora123]

Sorry, yes of course you do. I hadn't read @Flora123 's post properly.

However, as her Non-HDL is only 2.8 she has nothing at all to worry about. The standard target is under 3.4. Her figures such as they are are excellent.

Thanks. I have also managed to work out my HDL is pretty good too. It’s a huge learning curve!

 

[Flora123]

Sorry, yes of course you do. I hadn't read @Flora123 's post properly.

However, as her Non-HDL is only 2.8 she has nothing at all to worry about. The standard target is under 3.4. Her figures such as they are are excellent.

Thanks. I have also managed to work out my HDL is pretty good too. It’s a huge learning curve!

 

[bulkbiker]

Thanks. I have also managed to work out my HDL is pretty good too. It’s a huge learning curve!

Yes sorry I should have noted that.. got distracted by the other bits..

 

[Thomas the Tank]

Hi. Can anyone make any sense if this please. I thought it should mention triglycerides. This was done non fasting for some reason

Serum cholesterol level 5.0 mmol/L
Serum HDL cholesterol level 2.2 mmol/L
Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio 2.3
Serum non high density lipoprotein cholesterol level 2.8 mmol/L

Thanks.

Cholesterol levels are about as useful as your inside leg measurement. Don't even bother to have it tested. The only benefit is to the shareholders of the Pharma Co's who sell this junk. If your concerned with possible indicators for CHD get your Homocysteine level checked.

 

[Flora123]

Cholesterol levels are about as useful as your inside leg measurement. Don't even bother to have it tested. The only benefit is to the shareholders of the Pharma Co's who sell this junk. If your concerned with possible indicators for CHD get your Homocysteine level checked.

Thanks just wanted to try and understand as it was ordered by the doc (not me) amongst other tests. I’m not overly concerned, just trying to learn more.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thanks just wanted to try and understand as it was ordered by the doc (not me) amongst other tests. I’m not overly concerned, just trying to learn more.

It is always worth having the test done as long as you fast for it, despite not being told to by the surgery. Knowing the results and looking for trends up or down is always useful. It doesn't mean you have to take statins whatever the result if you don't want to.

 

[Flora123]

It is always worth having the test done as long as you fast for it, despite not being told to by the surgery. Knowing the results and looking for trends up or down is always useful. It doesn't mean you have to take statins whatever the result if you don't want to.

I know about fasting but I wasn’t aware it was being done! I only realised I’d been tested after the results were in. Thanks

 

[Bluetit1802]

I know about fasting but I wasn’t aware it was being done! I only realised I’d been tested after the results were in. Thanks

It is normal for cholesterol to be checked when having blood tests for diabetes. They also normally check liver and kidney functions plus a full blood count. These are important checks for diabetics. If you are unsure, you can always ring the day before and ask the receptionist which tests are included. It is probably on the records she can see on her screen, or at least it is in my surgery.

 

[Flora123]

Who knows but it doesn’t actually matter what tests are done. The more the better and I didn’t say it was for diabetes. It was done via hospital and a specialist not my GP. Thank you

 

[Thomas the Tank]

It is always worth having the test done as long as you fast for it, despite not being told to by the surgery. Knowing the results and looking for trends up or down is always useful. It doesn't mean you have to take statins whatever the result if you don't want to.

What I am getting at is that it matters not an iota what level your HDL, LDL or any of the other variants test to unless you suffer from familial hypercholesterolemia an inherited problem which makes your cholesterol abnormally high. The other tests for Liver and Kidney function and full blood count are of course needed. So the good news is not having cholesterol tested is one less thing to worry about.