HDL cholesterol

Testing HDL cholesterol levels in the blood

HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins) is the so-called good cholesterol cholesterol.

The test is used to assess the risk of coronary heart disease (high levels of HDL - lower risk of heart disease, low levels - increased risk).

An increase in concentration is observed in patients with high and regular physical activity and after taking certain medications that regulate lipid metabolism. A decrease in concentration is observed in nephrotic syndrome, hypertriglyceridemia, and in smokers.

Maintaining adequate concentrations of this fraction of cholesterol has a positive effect on the condition of the cardiovascular system, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. HDL testing is recommended both for control purposes such as in the context of measuring the effects of ongoing treatment, as well as prophylactic in healthy individuals.

HDL cholesterol what is it?

HDL cholesterol is called "good" cholesterol because it performs important functions in the body - it is responsible for transporting cholesterol molecules from various tissues of the body to the liver, where they are metabolized and used to form bile acids It is one of the fractions of total cholesterol.  Adequate concentration of cholesterol  HDL prevents the accumulation of in the walls of the arteries of fatty compounds that contribute to to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

The result of HDL cholesterol levels in the blood alone has little diagnostic significance. The key is to maintain high levels of HDL cholesterol while maintaining low levels of "bad cholesterol," i.e. the LDL fraction.

Why and how often to test HDL cholesterol?

The frequency of testing is decided each time by the doctor treating the individual patient treating the individual patient. Prophylactically, in healthy individuals, it is recommended to perform this test no less frequently than every 5 years (and in people over people over 50 years of age every 2 years). In the case of people undergoing treatment chronic treatment, usually the doctor decides that it is necessary to check the cholesterol levels more frequently.

Testing HDL cholesterol is important in the context of guiding the prevention of heart and cardiovascular disease and when lowering a patient's overall blood lipid levels Based on the results of the test, the doctor can decide on the inclusion of pharmacological treatment, modify drug doses or stay with diet and healthy lifestyle treatment alone.

When to test HDL levels?

The test is performed prophylactically in healthy individuals (once every 3-5 years in people over 25 and every 2 years in people over 50 years of age), as well as in patients at risk of developing cardiovascular system. The presence or suspicion of diabetes mellitus, hyper- or hypothyroidism, and ischemic heart disease ischemic heart disease are also indications for testing the concentration of HDL. Monitoring can be done more frequently and at regular intervals as part of a lipid profile when there are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The frequency of testing is decided by the physician.

The product can be delivered within 3 months from the date indicated in the order confirmation. The hdl cholesterol test is performed in cities such as: Warsaw, Poznan, Katowice, Krakow, Lodz, Lublin, Wroclaw.

• Test results are available within 3 working days.
• It is possible to collect them at the reception desk of a selected centre.
• The results can be accessed online. For this to be possible, it is necessary to collect a password at the reception desk of a selected centre.

High level of HDL cholesterol – where does it come from?

The level of HDL cholesterol is affected by a series of factors, with one of them being the genetic factors. Individuals with hereditary low concentration levels of HDL cholesterol are statistically more common to experience episodes of heart diseases. Similarly, families that usually manifest high levels of this cholesterol fraction rarely develop atherosclerosis or cardio-embolic disease.

Environmental factors are not without significance either. The level of HDL is adversely influenced by such factors as a poorly-balanced diet, smoking cigarettes, arterial hypertension, low physical activity and obesity.

Women are more likely than men to have higher HDL levels, which is due to the beneficial effects of oestrogens (female sex hormone) on the level of HDL cholesterol.