Summary: Facts about cholesterol ratio and its reliability as basis for diagnosis.
Is cholesterol ratio various from your cholesterol numbers? How substantial is this in the medical diagnosis and treatment of possible heart disease?
Cholesterol ratio, instead of the total blood cholesterol, is used by some medical professionals and cholesterol professionals in diagnosing atherosclerosis, or the disorder identified by the accumulation of cholesterol on the walls of the arteries. The cholesterol ratio is obtained by dividing the total cholesterol by the HDL cholesterol.
If a patient has an overall cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 50, his cholesterol ratio would be 4:1. The average ratio would be 4.5:1 or below 5:1, and the most perfect cholesterol ratio would be about 2:1 or 3:1 or anything under 4:1. This indicates that a high cholesterol ratio indicates a high danger for heart problem and a low cholesterol ratio is a lower risk aspect.
One other cholesterol ratio is the LDL/HDL ratio. This is considered as a more accurate because it is stemmed from the measurements of excellent cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). The measurement of the overall blood cholesterol is not as precise in the sense that the overall blood cholesterol is the amount of other numbers like HDL, LDL, and other lipid components like the Triglycerides.
The measure of total blood cholesterol consists of HDL which is thought about excellent cholesterol and does not pose as a cardiac risk. Hence, the overall blood cholesterol measurement is not as good sign of heart disease than the LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio.
Is it possible to have a high measurement for overall blood cholesterol and a low LDL/HDL ratio?
It is certainly possible. A patient with a high absolute value for the overall blood cholesterol can have a low LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio. This is best described by taking a look at the structures of the overall blood cholesterol. It is simply stemmed from the measurements of the LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides.
A high overall blood cholesterol yet a low LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio would imply that the Triglycerides has actually contributed a lot. The triglycerides are the only ones unaccounted for in LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio. The existence of the triglycerides in the blood makes the overall blood cholesterol rise.
Even if the LDL/HDL cholesterol level is a reputable sign of a threat for heart disease, the American Heart Association still recommend that the values gotten in the lipoprotein test for the total blood cholesterol and the HDL cholesterol level be used by physicians as basis for their medical diagnosis and treatment for patients.
If a client has a total cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 50, his cholesterol ratio would be 4:1. The measurement of the overall blood cholesterol is not as accurate in the sense that the overall blood cholesterol is the amount of other numbers like HDL, LDL, and other lipid components like the Triglycerides.
A client with a high outright value for the overall blood cholesterol can have a low LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio. A high total blood cholesterol yet a low LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio would mean that the Triglycerides has contributed a lot.