Nigeria
Lipid profile test: reading total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides
A lipid profile measures the fats circulating in your blood. On its own it is a set of numbers; combined with your age, blood pressure and smoking status it becomes a 10-year probability of a heart attack or stroke, which is the figure treatment decisions actually rest on.
Adult lipid reference ranges
| Measure | Desirable | Borderline | High risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total cholesterol | Below 200 mg/dL | 200 – 239 | 240 and above |
| LDL ('bad') | Below 100 mg/dL | 100 – 159 | 160 and above |
| HDL ('good') | 60 and above | 40 – 59 | Below 40 (men) / 50 (women) |
| Triglycerides | Below 150 mg/dL | 150 – 199 | 200 and above |
Do you need to fast?
For total cholesterol, LDL and HDL, a non-fasting sample is acceptable in most guidelines. Triglycerides are the exception — they rise substantially after a meal, so fast for 9-12 hours if triglycerides are the point of the test or if you are being assessed for metabolic syndrome.
LDL is the number treatment targets
LDL above 100 mg/dL flags hyperlipidemia in this tool. Whether that leads to medication depends on your overall risk, not the lipid value alone: the same LDL means something very different in a 35-year-old non-smoker and a 62-year-old with diabetes and raised blood pressure.
Triglycerides above 150 count towards metabolic syndrome
Raised triglycerides with a large waist circumference and raised blood pressure meet the metabolic syndrome criteria, which carries a different management pathway from isolated high cholesterol. Vitals checks the combination automatically rather than each line in isolation.
Feed it into a risk score
Enter total cholesterol and HDL here with your blood pressure, age and smoking status, and the ASCVD Pooled Cohort Equations and QRISK3 both run over them. The intervention simulator then shows what a lower LDL or a lower systolic pressure would do to your own estimate.
Keep reading
Educational only. Reference ranges are general guidance and are not a diagnosis — take your results to a qualified clinician.
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