What are the Tests for Hyperlipidemia?

Hyperlipidemia tests include those for total levels of cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. High levels of overall cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides, and low levels of HDL, are likely to result in heart disease. In addition to changes in diet and lifestyle, a number of medications can reduce fat levels in the blood.

What is hyperlipidemia?

• Hyperlipidemia is the condition of having an excess of fats---scientifically "lipids"---in the blood. If a medical professional says you have hyperlipidemia, it means you have either high cholesterol or a high level of triglycerides, or both. This is likely to speed up the accumulation of plaque on the walls of the arteries, restricting the flow of blood and hardening the arteries. This increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and other diseases.

Tests for Hyperlipidemia

• Hyperlipidemia does not usually cause symptoms at the stage when it is most useful to treat it. For this reason, your physician will order blood tests---typically, about every five years after the age of 20. These tests will measure total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Tests for cholesterol

• To test cholesterol, laboratories mix plasma, or serum, with a mixture of chemical re-agents, including cholesterol ester hydrolyase, cholesteroal oxidase, peroxidase and a chromogen. A complex set, or reactions, results in a red-colored product that can be measured using a spectrophotometer to provide a reading of the cholesterol concentration in the sample. A similar reaction is used to measure HDL, and the same one to measure LDL, which must first be separated out from other lipoproteins in the sample. Technicians can measure LDL using a formula known as the Friedewald formula.

Tests for triglycerides

• Laboratories test for triglycerides with a re-agent comprising the enzymes lipase, glycerol kinase, glycerol phosphate oxidase and peroxidase, together with adenosine triphosphate and a chromogen. A complex reaction results in an other red-colored product, which is measured with a spectrophotometer to determine triglyceride levels.

What are the desirable results?

• Plenty of physicians recommend even lower levels, but these are the widely accepted desirable lipid levels to have the lowest possible risk of heart disease: total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL; LDL less than 130 mg/dL; HDL greater than 40 mg/dL (men) or 50 mg/dL (women); triglycerides less than 200 mg/dL.

Treatments

• The first line of defense against hyperlipidemia is change of lifestyle---more exercise, a healthier, less fatty diet and weight loss. If this does not decrease cholesterol, your physician might prescribe medications, which could include statins, bile acid sequestrants, fibrates and niacin (vitamin B5).