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DIAGNOSING HIGH CHOLESTEROL
Is not as simple as it might seem. In some cases of very high cholesterol levels there may be skin changes and
other signs but for the vast majority, High Cholesterol causes NO symptoms at all. Blood tests are necessary.
there are two types of blood test that can be done:
• Random CholesteRol – this is a non-fasting test and is usually done as a simple finger-prick test. It only gives
a "total cholesterol" level. This is very useful when looking to test large numbers of people cost effectively
but it is not 100% accurate and it does not give all the information needed to make a full assessment.
• Fasting lipogRam – thus is a fasting test where you eat nothing for 8-10 hours before having blood taken.
Blood is sent to a laboratory and a full lipid test is done, which gives levels of LDL, HDL, and more. This test is
very accurate and should always be done when considering a diagnosis of High Cholesterol.
The normal practice these days is to use random tests for screening but to do full fasting lipogram test on
anyone whose random test is high or even borderline. Because HDL is somewhat protective (lowers risk of
atherosclerosis) it is vital to make a thorough and careful assessment of your full lipid profile before making any
diagnosis.
