Lipid Profile

Age, hereditary factors, weight, smoking, blood pressure, physical activities are important in determining cardiac risk. However, the most important indicator for cardiac risk is the lipid profile.

Do you know what the lipid profile is??

The lipid profile measures cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C or known as ‘good cholesterol’), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C or known as ‘bad cholesterol’)

Table of Lipid Profile Values

	mg/dL	mmol/L
Total Cholesterol
Desirable	< 200	< 5.1
Borderline High	200 - 239	5.1 - 6.1
High	> 239	> 6.1
LDL Cholesterol - The "Bad" Cholesterol
Optimal	< 100	< 2.6
Near/Above Optimum	100 - 129	2.6 - 3.3
Borderline High	130 - 159	3.3 - 4.1
High	160 - 189	4.1 - 4.8
Very High	> 189	4.8
HDL Cholesterol - The "Good" Cholesterol
Low (Undesirable!)*	< 40	< 1.0
High (Desirable!)	> 60	> 1.5
Serum Triglycerides
Normal	< 150	1.7
Borderline High	150 - 199	1.7 - 2.2
High	200 - 499	2-2 - 5.6
Very High	> 499	> 5.6

*The American Heart Association sets different thresholds for HDL cholesterol in men (< 40 mg/dL = low) and women (< 50mg/dL = low), a discrimination that the National Cholesterol Education Program no longer makes.

The values in the above table are indicated in milligrams per deciliter blood (mg/dL) and millimol/liter (mmol/L). The unit mg/dL is common in the US, whereas mmol/L is generally used in the rest of the world.