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Cholesterol test - Risks

Alternative Names

Total cholesterol test

What the risks are:

Veins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.

Other risks, although rare, may include:

  • Excessive bleeding
  • Fainting or feeling light-headed
  • Hematoma (blood accumulating under the skin)
  • Infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)

Special considerations:

Any acute illness can raise or lower your total cholesterol number. If you have had an acute illness in the 3 months before having this test, you should have it repeated in 2 or 3 months. Even a flare up of arthritis can affect your cholesterol level.

Other conditions associated with high cholesterol include:

  • Pregnancy
  • Removal of the ovaries
  • Reviewed last on: 1/22/2008
  • Larry A. Weinrauch, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Private practice specializing in Cardiovascular Disease, Watertown, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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 May 16;285(19):2486-97.