Lipid Profile

A lipid profiles is a blood test that measures the amount of certain fat molecules called lipids in your blood. In most cases, the panel includes four different cholesterol measurements and a measurement of your triglycerides.

Other names of Lipid Profile #

• Lipid panel.

• Lipid test.

• Cholesterol panel.

• Coronary risk panel.

• Fasting lipid panel or non-fasting lipid panel.

What is a lipid profile used for? #

Healthcare providers use lipid panels to help assess someone’s cardiovascular health by analyzing cholesterol in their blood and to help diagnose other health conditions.

Reasons a provider may order a lipid panel include:

• As a routine test to determine if your cholesterol level is normal or falls into a borderline-, intermediate- or high-risk category.

• To monitor your cholesterol level if you had abnormal results on a previous test or if you have other risk factors for heart disease.

• To monitor your body’s response to treatment, such as cholesterol medications or lifestyle changes.

• To help diagnose other medical conditions, such as liver disease.

Procedure of Lipid Profile #

You can expect to experience the following during a blood test, or blood draw:

• You’ll sit in a chair, and a healthcare provider will check your arms for an easily accessible vein.

• This is usually in the inner part of your arm on the other side of your elbow.

• Once they’ve located a vein, they’ll clean and disinfect the area.

• They’ll then insert a small needle into your vein to take a blood sample.

• This may feel like a small pinch.

• After they insert the needle, a small amount of blood will collect in a test tube.

• Once they have enough blood to test, they’ll remove the needle and hold a cotton ball or gauze on the site to stop the bleeding.

• They’ll place a bandage over the site, and you’ll be finished.

What are the five tests in a lipid profile? #

A lipid panel measures five different types of lipids from a blood sample, including:

Total cholesterol #

This is your overall cholesterol level the combination of LDL-C, VLDL-C and HDL-C.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol #

This is the type of cholesterol that’s known as bad cholesterol. It can collect in your blood vessels and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol #

• This is a type of cholesterol that’s usually present in very low amounts when the blood sample is a fasting samples since it’s mostly comes from food you’ve recently eaten.

• An increase in this type of cholesterol in a fasting sample may be a sign of abnormal lipid metabolism.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol #

This is the type of cholesterol that’s known as good cholesterol. It helps decrease the buildup of LDL in your blood vessels.

Triglycerides #

This is a type of fat from the food we eat. Excess amounts of triglycerides in your blood are associated with cardiovascular disease and pancreatic inflammation.

Risks of Lipid Profile #

• Blood tests are a very common and essential part of medical testing and screening.

• There’s very little risk to having blood tests.

• You may have slight tenderness or a bruise at the site of the blood draw, but this usually resolves quickly.