High Cholesterol Is Diagnosed Through a Cholesterol Test

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Cholesterol test can be used to estimate the amount or quantity of cholesterol and diagnose if it is high or normal. It can determine the levels of different lipids in the blood for better examination and also assess the chances for any probable heart diseases. This cholesterol test is not only important but also life-saving. It is also very easy to be carried out.

These tests prove to be very simple to easily determine the high cholesterol levels in the blood. There are many medical tests which are time consuming, but a cholesterol test is not only simple and easy to be done but also less time consuming in fact the least time consumer and also painless to the patient. It does not need many from you but the rewards are greater, life saving one. It is performed everywhere. It can be done even in your home. The only thing required for performing the test is a small quantity of blood from the patient.

Current guidelines have stressed the importance of the test to be performed for anyone who is above 20. There are chances or risk from very early age. And if the patient has a family history who have suffered from heart diseases early in their life, this test must be done even before 20. The family history can include diseases like stroke, coronary heart disease, and familial hypercholesterolemia. This test must be done at least once in every five years. Only then, the person can have his cholesterol in check constantly and can prevent any heart disease.

A cholesterol test basically looks into four main components namely Total cholesterol levels, HDL levels, LDL levels and Triglycerides. The home cholesterol tests will look into only the total cholesterol levels and there are also some tests which examines more than the specified four components for accuracy. By knowing these levels, the healthcare provider will compare it with the normal levels and assess if there are any risks for heart diseases involved and treats according to the severity of the situation.

Even before the test, there are no big preparations needed for the test. The only important thing to remember is to fast for a minimum time of 8-12 hours before the test. This is needed to get the accurate levels of the lipids in the cholesterol test because when foods, fatty foods in particular have the ability to increase the lipid levels and interrupt with the test results.

During the test, blood is drawn from the patient’s arm and sent to a laboratory for processing. The cholesterol panel determines the lipid levels in the blood and prepares a report in 1-3 days. The healthcare provider receives this report. Based on these results, the provider discusses with the patient about the results. In case of existence of high cholesterol, the doctor discusses and recommends the patient to be on a low-fat diet and modify his/her lifestyle accordingly. Exercising may also be preferred. If the level is very high, unable to be controlled with these changes, some medications along with lifestyle modifications are strongly recommended.

Irrespective of family history, all above the age of 20 are required to undertake a cholesterol test and continue to take once in every 5 years. In case of diagnosing with high cholesterol, test must be undertaken every year. And those under medication like statin drugs are recommended to take tests twice in a year. This is good to control the cholesterol levels as well as check the proper functioning of the liver.