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Cholesterol and triglyceride test - Results

Alternative Names

Lipoprotein/cholesterol analysis; Lipid profile; Lipid panel; Hyperlipidemia - testing; Coronary risk profile

Normal Values:

The ideal values depend on whether you have heart disease or other risk factors. Your health care provider can tell you what your ideal results should be.

The desired values in most adults are:

  • LDL cholesterol: lower than 130 mg/dL (lower numbers are desired)
  • HDL cholesterol: greater than 40 - 60 mg/dL (higher numbers are desired)
  • Total cholesterol: less than 200 mg/dL (lower numbers are desired)
  • Triglycerides: 10 - 150 (lower numbers are desired)
  • VLDL: 2 - 38

Talk to your health care provider about the ideal levels in children.

Note: mg/dL = milligrams per deciliter

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

The examples above show the common measurements for results for these tests. Some laboratories use different measurements or may test different specimens.

What abnormal results mean:

Abnormal values may be a sign that you are at increased risk for heart disease, stroke, and other problems caused by narrowed or blocked arteries.

Any active illness, such as a flare-up of arthritis, can change your total cholesterol number. If you have had an illness in the 3 months before having this test, you should have this test repeated in 2 or 3 months.

See: High cholesterol to learn more about the causes of high cholesterol levels.

See also:

  • Reviewed last on: 5/20/2011
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults. Executive summary of the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) expert panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA. 2001;285:2486-2497. Updated 2004.

Libby P. Lipoprotein disorders and cardiovascular disease. In: Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, Libby P, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 49.

Gennest J, Libby P. Lipoprotein disorders and cardiovascular disease. In: Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, Libby P, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 47.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for lipid disorders in adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); 2008 Jun. Accessed May 20, 2011.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for lipid disorders in children. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); 2007 Jul. Accessed May 20, 2011.

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