Also Known As
Lipid Panel
Lipids
This article was last reviewed on
This article waslast modified on 22 February 2024.
At a Glance
Why Get Tested?

To assess your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (heart disease, stroke and related diseases); to monitor treatment

When To Get Tested?

Between ages 40 and 75 years as part of a routine cardiovascular health check, or if you are already thought to be at risk of cardiovascular disease for another reason, or if you are starting on or taking lipid-modifying treatments (e.g. statins).

Sample Required?

Testing for your lipid profile reequires a blood sample.  Most often, the blood sample is collected by venepuncture (using a needle to collect blood from a vein in the arm). Occasionally a fingerprick test can be used, although this is not commonly available in GP practices or hospitals in the UK.

Test Preparation Needed?

Before 2014, fasting samples were used for a lipid profile, but since then fasting is no longer routinely required. However, fasting may still be needed in some circumstances, so you should follow your doctor's advice.

On average it takes 7 working days for the blood test results to come back from the hospital, depending on the exact tests requested. Some specialist test results may take longer, if samples have to be sent to a reference (specialist) laboratory. The X-ray & scan results may take longer. If you are registered to use the online services of your local practice, you may be able to access your results online. Your GP practice will be able to provide specific details.

If the doctor wants to see you about the result(s), you will be offered an appointment. If you are concerned about your test results, you will need to arrange an appointment with your doctor so that all relevant information including age, ethnicity, health history, signs and symptoms, laboratory and other procedures (radiology, endoscopy, etc.), can be considered.

Lab Tests Online-UK is an educational website designed to provide patients and carers with information on laboratory tests used in medical care. We are not a laboratory and are unable to comment on an individual's health and treatment.

Reference ranges are dependent on many factors, including patient age, sex, sample population, and test method, and numeric test results can have different meanings in different laboratories.

For these reasons, you will not find reference ranges for the majority of tests described on this web site. The lab report containing your test results should include the relevant reference range for your test(s). Please consult your doctor or the laboratory that performed the test(s) to obtain the reference range if you do not have the lab report.

For more information on reference ranges, please read Reference Ranges and What They Mean.

What is being tested?

Lipids are fats that are important constituents of cells and sources of energy. They are necessary for life, but abnormal levels may cause -cardiovascular disease. A lipid profile measures the level of specific lipids in the blood.

Two types of lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides, are transported in the blood by particles called “lipoproteins”. Each particle contains a combination of protein, cholesterol, triglyceride, and phospholipid molecules. Lipoprotein particles are classified according to their density into high-density lipoproteins (HDL), intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). Not all of these are measured as part of a routine lipid profile.

A lipid profile typically includes:

  • Total cholesterol, which is all of the cholesterol in all the lipoprotein particles.
  • High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) which is the cholesterol in HDL particles; often called "good cholesterol" because it represents cholesterol carried to the liver for removal.
  • Non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C) is calculated simply as "total cholesterol minus HDL-C". This is what is often referred to as "bad cholesterol", as it represents cholesterol which may be deposited to form "plaques", which can eventually lead to blockages.
  • Triglycerides — measures all the triglycerides in all the lipoprotein particles; most is in the very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL).

Some other information may be reported as part of the lipid profile. These parameters are calculated from the results of the tests identified above.

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Common Questions
  • How is it used?

    1) As part of a cardiovascular risk assessment

    Cardiovascular disease means disease of the heart, such as a heart attack, or of the arteries. These conditions are partly due to laying down of excess cholesterol in the artery walls (known as atherosclerosis, or “furring up of the arteries”). The balance of different cholesterol fractions measured as part of the lipid profile (e.g. "bad" non-HDL-C vs "good" HDL-C) can influence how fast and extensive this process is. Therefore, the commonest reason to measure a person’s lipid profile is to help estimate their risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the future. This then helps with decisions about lifestyle changes and medical treatments to reduce future risk. In the UK, most doctors use a “risk calculator” (QRISK2 or QRISK3) which uses the cholesterol: HDL ratio along with other known risk factors (such as age, gender, smoking, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and certain chronic illnesses) for this purpose.

    2) In cases of pancreatitis

    Pancreatitis is a serious medical condition in which the pancreas becomes inflamed. It has many causes, one of which is high levels of triglycerides in the blood. Therefore, if you ever develop pancreatitis, your lipid profile would usually be checked to look for elevated triglycerides. If found, these can be reduced effectively by lifestyle changes and medical treatments.

    3) To monitor response to treatment
    If you are prescribed lipid-modifying treatments, for example to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease or pancreatitis, your lipid profile may be checked periodically to determine if the treatment is working adequately.

  • When is it requested?
    • In the UK, your lipid profile is commonly tested by your GP when you reach the age of 40, as part of a routine cardiovascular health check.
    • It may be checked at other times if you are thought to be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease for another reason.
    • It will be checked if you develop another medical condition which can be due to abnormal lipids, such as pancreatitis.
    • If you have a close relative with inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolaemia).
    • Finally, it will likely be checked at regular intervals if you have been prescribed lipid-modifying treatments, such as statins.
  • What does the test result mean?

    Please see the separate pages on each component of the lipid profile for discussions about each component of the lipid profile - cholesterol, non-HDL, HDL, triglycerides, LDL

    Ideal levels for adults are as follows:

    Total cholesterol: below 5.0 mmol/L

    Non-HDL cholesterol: below 4.0 mmol/L

    LDL cholesterol: below 3.0 mmol/L

    HDL cholesterol: above 1.0 mmol/L for a man, above 1.2 mmol/L for a woman

    TC: HDL ratio above 6 is considered high risk - the lower this ratio is the better

    Triglycerides: below 1.7 mmol/L after fasting or below 2.3 mmol/L without fasting

  • Is there anything else I should know?

    A lipid profile should ideally be measured when a person is healthy. In particular, cholesterol can be temporarily low during acute illness, immediately following a heart attack, or during stress (like from surgery or an accident). To get a true representation of your cholesterol, you should wait at least six weeks after any illness before having it measured. In women, cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations are high during pregnancy. Women should wait at least three months after the baby is born to have a lipid profile measured. Some drugs are known to affect the lipid profile, including oral corticosteroids, beta blockers, oral contraceptives, thiazide diuretics, oral retinoids and phenytoin.

  • I am used to getting an LDL-C result, but this no longer appears as part of my lipid profile. Why?

    For many years LDL-C was used as the main measure of "bad" cholesterol. However it is now recognised that cholesterol carried on other lipoproteins is also harmful. For this reason, the recommendations changed in 2014 so that non-HDL-C may be reported instead of LDL-C.