HDL CHOLESTROL

Also known as: Blood cholesterol
Formal name: Total cholesterol
Related tests: HDL-C, LDL-C, Triglycerides, Lipid profile, Cardiac risk assessment
At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
To screen for risk of developing heart disease
When to Get Tested?
Adults should be tested once every five years or more frequently if being treated for high cholesterol or have one or more risk factors for heart disease. Children and adolescents with risk factors should also have their cholesterol level checked.
Sample Required?
A blood sample drawn from a vein in the arm or a fingerstick
Test Preparation Needed?
If you are having this test performed as part of the Lipid profile, you will need to fast for 9-12 hours before the sample is collected; only water is permitted.

The Test Sample
What is being tested?
Cholesterol is a substance (a steroid) that is essential for life. It forms the membranes for cells in all organs and tissues in your body. It is used to make hormones that are essential for development, growth, and reproduction. It forms bile acids that are needed to absorb nutrients from food. A small amount of your body’s cholesterol circulates in the blood in complex particles called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins include some particles that carry excess cholesterol away for disposal (see HDL-C, good cholesterol) and some particles that deposit cholesterol in tissues and organs (see LDL-C, bad cholesterol). The test for cholesterol measures total cholesterol (good and bad) that is carried in the blood by lipoproteins.
Your body produces the cholesterol needed to work properly, but the source for some cholesterol is your diet. If you have an inherited predisposition for high cholesterol levels or if you eat too much of the foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans unsaturated fats (trans fats), then levels of cholesterol in your blood may increase and have a negative impact on your health. The extra cholesterol in your blood may be deposited in plaques on the walls of blood vessels. Plaques can narrow or eventually block the opening of blood vessels, leading to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and increasing your risk of numerous health problems, including heart disease and stroke.
Monitoring and maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol is important in staying healthy.
How is the sample collected for testing