Doctors will often begin looking for clues to the cause of any heart problem with a blood test. In addition to checking blood pressure levels, doctors will often run lipid blood tests or a lipid panel to measure the fats in your blood. The higher the level of fats in the blood, the more likely you will suffer some sort of blockage and eventual cardiac event--maybe even a heart attack.
Do I Need a Lipid Test?
If you have risk factors for heart disease, or if you've had previously high cholesterol levels, you should be screened regularly with a full lipid profile, says Lab Tests Online. People who with no heart disease risk factors and or history of high cholesterol should be screened every five years with a lipid test. Though the test isn't commonly ordered in children, it may be performed for children at a high risk of developing heart disease.
Risk Factors for High Blood Fats
Anyone who has a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol levels is at an increased risk of high cholesterol and other blood fats and should be screened regularly with lipid tests, says the Mayo Clinic. Anyone who is overweight or obese or eats a diet rich in fats and cholesterol should also be screened. Lack of exercise and being diabetic are also risk factors for high blood fats.
What the Test Looks For
Lipids are fats, so a lipid panel looks for fat in your bloodstream. Fat in the bloodstream comes from a high-fat diet, but the body also produces it naturally, so you healthy people will have in small amounts in their blood, says the Clinic. Levels of high cholesterol, which is a type of fat found in the blood, can increase your risk of a number of health conditions, including stroke and heart attack.
If you already take medication for high cholesterol, you may have regular lipid tests to see how effectively the medications--and lifestyle changes--manage your condition.
Getting a Lipid Test
No preparation is needed for a cholesterol check. But if you're getting a total lipid profile, you need to fast for 12 hours before the test--you can only drink water. Someone will extract a blood sample from a vein in your arm using a needle. The blood sample is then studied in a lab.
What the Results Mean
Lipid tests are broken down into several types of fats that are measured: LDL, HDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides, says Lab Tests Online. Total cholesterol levels should be less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL, and HDL cholesterol more than 60 mg/dL. Triglyceride levels should ideally be less than 150 mg/dL.
What to Do About High Blood Fats
If any of your blood fats are abnormal, you're at risk for serious health complications. Your doctor will likely talk to you about ways to reduce your risk of problems and improve your blood fats. You can manage high cholesterol and triglyceride levels through medications, a healthy diet and exercise. You'll need to stick to a low-fat, low cholesterol diet in order to reduce fats in the blood to a healthier level.
Member Comments