When and who should have their cholesterol tested?
If you are between 40-75 years of age, it is recommended to have the test every five years. However, it is also advised to have yearly cholesterol tests if patients are on cholesterol lowering medication.
What does a cholesterol test involve?
Health care professionals in a hospital or clinic should perform cholesterol tests, as it is important to take a blood sample safely and to operate and maintain the testing equipment properly. You should make sure that you are well hydrated before your test and have eaten normally unless otherwise advised by your doctor or health care professional.
- A venous sample is usually taken to perform a full lipid profile (to find out the levels of all blood fats). The health care professional takes a sample of blood from a vein, usually in the arm. The sample is then sent to a laboratory where it is analyzed and the results are usually available within 48 hours. This test will provide you with your total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, non- HDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. Mainly, your health care professional may request a fasting test (no food for 10-14 hours) and they will inform you of the reason for this test.
- A capillary (pinprick) test care testing device. The test usually requires just a small drop of blood, usually taken from a finger. The blood is placed on a cassette or strip that is inserted into a calibrated device or meter. The result is available within a few minutes. This kind of test may be used for screening purposes in non-fasting condition. This test is usually used to find out the amount of total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol in your blood.
What cholesterol results should you expect?
In order to understand the risk that cholesterol poses to your health it is important to know all your numbers: Be sure to ask them for all the results they have and keep a note of them. As a minimum you should know your total cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol (explained below). Don’t worry if you get a high result as a diagnosis of high cholesterol cannot usually be made from the results of just one test. This is how you measure the number, which normally will be explained by your physician
Total Cholesterol (TC): this is the total amount of cholesterol in your blood. Ideally it should be 5 mmol/L* or less.
- Non HDL: Cholesterol this is your total cholesterol minus your HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol) and is the sum all the “bad” cholesterols added together (including LDL cholesterol): ideally it should be 4mmol/L* or less.
- LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) – this is the amount of LDL-cholesterol), ideally it should be 3 mmol/L* or less.
- HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-C) – the amount of good cholesterol, ideally it should be over 1mmol/L* (men) and over 1.2mmol/L* (women).
- TC:HDL ratio This is the TC figure divided by the HDL-C figure. A ratio above 6 is considered high risk – the lower this figure is the better.
- Triglyceride (TG) this represent your body’s ability to clear fat from the blood after a meal. Ideally it should be less than 2mmol/L* on a fasting sample).
If you have existing heart disease or are at a higher risk of developing heart disease, it is likely that your doctor will advise you to reduce your cholesterol further. It is best to discuss this with your doctor when he or she reviews your treatment. Any target cholesterol levels your doctor suggests will depend on the cause of your high cholesterol, your age and any other risk factors you have.
BIMC Siloam Nusa Dua now offers two cholesterol-testing packages:
- Happy Life only IDR 180,000 (include tests for triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL).
- Healthy Life only IDR 380,000 (include tests for triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, SGOT, SGPT, CBC, ureum, creatinine, uric acid and glucose fasting).
For an appointment contact our reception staff via email at admin.nd@bimcbali.com
