Lipid Profile

Posted September 30, 2022 by Anusha ‐ 3 min read

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.

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