Lipid tests are more commonly called cholesterol tests, lipid profiles or lipid panels, as well as coronary risk panels. They are a set of blood tests designed to measure the amount of fatty substances, specifically cholesterol and triglycerides, within the human body. Since high levels of the two organic compounds usually produce no symptoms, lipid tests are essential for detecting the presence or likelihood of the heart disease they can eventually cause.
Lipid Risks
The word "lipid" refers to greasy biological substances, such as fats, oils and sterols found in fatty tissue. Human bodies require a certain amount of organic fat to function properly. However, when blood contains excessive fat, heart disease and the condition atherosclerosis become more likely. Atherosclerosis involves the inner walls of arteries, where blood fat accumulates, forming plaque that can narrow, harden or block the vessels and ultimately restrict blood flow.
Function
Lipid tests identify potentially dangerous amounts of blood fat and, therefore, a patient's risk of developing a heart condition related to unhealthy arteries. They can quantify various substances in the blood, but four measurements are taken most often: overall cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (also called good or HDL cholesterol), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (also called bad or LDL cholesterol) and triglycerides. Once the levels of the four substances are known, doctors can devise an appropriate treatment plan that takes into account any other risk factors in the patient's medical history.
Procedure
The lipid test is a standard blood test that lasts several minutes. A technician cleans a small area of one arm with antiseptic, ties an elastic band around the upper arm to plump the veins with blood, inserts a needle into a vein, unwraps the elastic to restore blood flow and removes the needle after sufficient blood fills the vial.
Patients must avoid all food and fluids except water for 9-12 hours before blood is drawn, and doctors sometimes recommend temporarily discontinuing medications that raise cholesterol levels, too.
Time Frame
Adult patients who are healthy and not at risk of developing heart disease should have a cholesterol test every five years and then follow-up with a full lipid panel if high cholesterol is present. Since heart disease and high cholesterol can both start developing in childhood, doctors also order lipid profiles for high-risk children who are at least 2 years old. Affected children may be overweight or have a family history of medical problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Results
Although measurements differ based on a country's preferred units (for example, the number of milligrams per deciliter in the United States, but the number of millimoles per liter in Europe), lipid test results generally separate lipid levels into categories that reflect assessments like optimal, near optimal, poor, borderline high and high. If the reported numbers are cause for concern, doctors typically recommend a modified lifestyle--such as eating better, exercising and losing weight--to lower cholesterol. They may also prescribe drugs that achieve the same effect or order another lipid panel or additional tests to verify or clarify the results.
Tags: heart disease, also called, blood flow, called cholesterol, cholesterol also, cholesterol also called, cholesterol triglycerides