A.S and low HDL. Are they linked ?

[littlehouse]

I recieved my cholesterol numbers from my doctor. they are as follows :

HDL - 24

LDL - 81

Trigl - 195

total cholesterol - 144

while my total #'s and my ldl #'s are great should I be alarmed or link any of the A.S. use to my hdl #'s ? any professional advice would be great, thanks

[JohnnyB]

What were they before the cycle?

JohnnyB

[littlehouse]

johnnyb , unfortunately I dont remember the exact #'s, but i will have to call the doc re: those. I can say that this is the first red flag I got though

[liftsiron]

Re: A.S and low HDL. Are they linked ?

Originally posted by littlehouse
I recieved my cholesterol numbers from my doctor. they are as follows :

HDL - 24

LDL - 81

Trigl - 195

total cholesterol - 144

while my total #'s and my ldl #'s are great should I be alarmed or link any of the A.S. use to my hdl #'s ? any professional advice would be great, thanks

I wouldn't worry with those numbers the ratio of LDL to HDL is most important.

[house1]

bump

[liftsiron]

As far as risk for heart disease your ratio is far more important than total cholesterol your ratio is approx 6 if you were using orals or certain anti-e's most notably fermera your hdl's could be temporarly lowered. As it stands right now you are not at a very high risk for heart disease.




Cholesterol Ratios

Q: As part of a cardiolyte stress test, my lipid profile came out with: cholesterol 221, LDL 63, HDL 21, and CHOL/HDL ratio of 5.8. The cardiologist put me on prescription Niaspan 500 mg for one month, and thereafter 1000 mg a day. Another doctor showed surprise and said the high dose niacin wasn't necessary when the cholesterol was so low. How important to health is the ratio?



A: When evaluating cardiac risk, you need to know not only the total cholesterol but also the LDL, HDL, and the ratio. A person could have a desirable total cholesterol of 180, but still be at increased risk for heart disease if the HDL is low at 30, giving a ratio of 6 (180 divided by 30). People with ratios of about 4.5 are at average risk, and those with ratios of 3 or less have 1/2 the risk. In a coronary care unit you find that people who have had heart attacks have ratios above 8 or 9.

In your case the LDL is excellent (below 100 is great), but you're in trouble because of your low HDL. That's why the cardiologist did the right thing by placing you on Niacin to raise the HDL, and hopefully to lower the ratio. Exercise may also help raise the HDL.


Article Created: 2000-11-10
Article Updated: 2000-11-14

[littlehouse]

thanks guys for the info, very useful !