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Type 2 Help With Interpreting Cholesterol Results.

AllieRainbow

AllieRainbow

Well-Known Member
Messages
207
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have just had my first annual diabetes review with the nurse. I haven't got my HbA1c result back yet, but I have results for the other blood tests taken. All are within normal levels but the Serum Lipid Levels test result is classed as borderline, and results are as follows:

Serum cholesterol level 5.1 mmol/L
Serum HDL cholesterol level 1.1 mmol/L
Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio 4.6 [< 5.0]
Serum non high density lipoprotein cholesterol level 4.0 mmol/L

According to the record I need to see the nurse. Can anyone help with what these results mean?
 
Did you fast for 10 - 12 hours before the test & did they give you a triglyceride number?
 
Safi said:
Did you fast for 10 - 12 hours before the test & did they give you a triglyceride number?
Click to expand...
I hadn't eaten since the night before and this was around 11.30am so yes fasting 12+ hours, and no triglyceride number.
 
It's tricky without triglycerides as they give some idea as to whether or not your LDL are the small/not so great particles or the large/benign particles. The fact that your SC/HDL ratio is below 5 appears to be good though. They really should check your trigs :banghead:

Have you been losing weight lately? That can cause cholesterol to go a bit doolally.
 
Safi said:
It's tricky without triglycerides as they give some idea as to whether or not your LDL are the small/not so great particles or the large/benign particles. The fact that your SC/HDL ratio is below 5 appears to be good though. They really should check your trigs :banghead:

Have you been losing weight lately? That can cause cholesterol to go a bit doolally.
Click to expand...

I have lost around 30 pounds over the last 4 months.
 
Well done you :)

It's worth noting that some people also get dodgy results if they fast for more than 14 hours so the fact that your bloods were taken late morning could also have an impact.

You will probably get the statin talk but if it were me I would first ask for a full lipid panel so I could make a fully informed decision.

For the full panel I would fast for 12 hours only - not so much as a black coffee.
 
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