Cholesterol Tests
Medical Author:
Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEMDr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Medical Editor:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhDDr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.
Cholesterol Tests OverviewWhat is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that is naturally present in the cell membranes of the body. The body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones including vitamin D and the bile acids that help to digest fat. The body requires only small amounts of cholesterol to function normally, and excess amounts may be deposited in artery walls throughout the body. This can lead to narrowing of the coronary arteries in the heart, causing angina and heart attack; narrowing in the carotid arteries that supply the brain, causing stroke; and narrowing of the femoral arteries supplying the legs, causing peripheral artery disease. What does a cholesterol test measure? Fasting blood tests can measure cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. This test, also called a lipoprotein profile or lipoprotein analysis, measures:
Blood cholesterol measurements can be used to help minimize the risk of stroke, heart attack, and peripheral artery disease. The cholesterol level is one of the many risk factors that can be controlled. |
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Cholesterol Tests
High Cholesterol and Children »
High Cholesterol and Children Overview
High cholesterol is a risk factor for coronary heart disease in adults, but some children may be at risk for premature coronary heart disease if they have high cholesterol levels earlier in life. Most parents don't know their children's risks, and health care professionals often don't test children's cholesterol levels.
According to the American Heart Association, there is sound research that the process of cholesterol buildup in arteries begins in childhood. Childhood may be the time to intervene with lifestyle changes that include sound diet and plenty of exercise, especially for children determined to be at high risk.
What Is Cholesterol?
The body produces cholesterol in the liver and makes what it needs. Additional cholesterol is added from foods, such as egg yolks, dairy products that are not fat free (such as ice cream), and red meat.
A certain amount of cholesterol is important for...
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
Cholesterol Embolism »
Cholesterol embolism syndrome should be suspected in a patient who develops worsening renal function, hypertension, distal ischemia, or acute multisystem dysfunction after an invasive arterial procedure.
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