Doctors nowadays use multiple screenings, such as cholesterol, to evaluate a patient’s health. A patient with high levels of cholesterol can be at a much greater risk of having a heart attack or developing cardiovascular disease down the road. Doctors can get a great deal of information from cholesterol screenings concerning the heart and cardiovascular system. On the other hand, patients may not completely understand the comprehensive results they get back. The following will provide information on interpreting a cholesterol level chart so that patients know what their health situation is.

Ranges

When you read a cholesterol level chart, you will notice that the categories and levels are presented in ranges. This is because no one number is perfect when it comes to cholesterol. As a result, ranges are used to describe whether a patient’s level of cholesterol is good or too high. These ranges include high, borderline high, near optimal, and normal. Based on what category your cholesterol levels falls in, you will either have to begin trying to lower them or not be concerned at all. Medication may be prescribed by your doctor to quickly lower your levels and prevent any further health risks.

Types of Cholesterol

Various types of cholesterol are included in a cholesterol level chart. One type is high density lipoproteins (HDL), the good cholesterol that can be rid of from the body effectively. You actually want HDL levels to be higher. On the other hand, the “bad” cholesterol are low density lipoproteins (LDL), that don’t leave the body and clog your arteries. Therefore, LDL numbers should be low as possible. Both HDL and LDL are factored in when calculating total cholesterol. A low number on a cholesterol level chart for total cholesterol is what you should shoot for.



Numbers

Finally, a cholesterol level chart will have numbers that will show exactly where your cholesterol levels are. HDL levels are optimal when they are 60 or greater. Levels below 40 indicate a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. An ideal LDL reading is 100 or below, and anything between 100-129 is near optimal. A borderline high reading is in the range of 130-159. A person is at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks with LDL levels over 160.

A very important collection of information on a cholesterol level chart are the total cholesterol numbers. Any cholesterol number below 200 is considered ideal. A borderline high level is one in the range of 200-239. A person is at risk with a number over 240.

By being able to interpret a cholesterol level chart properly, you will know exactly what you need to do with your health and prevent serious conditions from occuring.

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