What is a lipid profile?
The lipid profile is a group of tests that are often requested together to determine risk of coronary heart disease. The tests that make up a lipid profile are tests that have been shown to be good indicators of whether someone is likely to have a heart attack or stroke caused by blockage of blood vessels.
What tests are included in a lipid profile?
The lipid profile includes total cholesterol (sometime called bad cholesterol), HDL-cholesterol (often called good cholesterol), total cholesterol/HDL ratio, and triglycerides. Sometimes the report will include additional calculated values such as HDL/Cholesterol ratio.
How is a lipid profile used?
The lipid profile is used to guide clinicians in deciding how a person at risk should be treated. The results of the lipid profile are considered along with other known risk factors of heart disease, such as high blood pressure or diabetes to develop a plan of treatment and follow-up.
Why fasting before the test is important
We recommend that patients fast for at least 12 hours before coming in to have serum lipids measured. During this time, no food and no liquid other than water should be consumed.
If the fast is not followed, the test result may be unclear and the test may have to be repeated.
