Synonyms
High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Test, Good Cholesterol Test
Clinical Significance
The purpose of HDL cholesterol testing is to assess your cardiovascular health, including your risk for heart disease. HDL cholesterol is considered to be a good type of cholesterol that is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease events.
Measuring HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol together in the same blood sample allows the doctor to easily calculate the ratio of HDL cholesterol to non-HDL cholesterol. This is important for assessing your cardiovascular health and allows the doctor to understand the relative amounts of good and bad cholesterols.
Testing of HDL cholesterol can play a role in screening, monitoring, and diagnosing problems that affect your heart, blood vessels, and blood circulation.
Specimen
Serum
Stability
Refrigerated (preferred) : 7 days
Frozen : 30 days
Reference Range
≥ 45 mg/dL
Interpretation
Since HDL cholesterol is known as “good cholesterol,” a higher level is better, and HDL cholesterol above 60 mg/dL is generally considered to be excellent. For most people, an HDL cholesterol level that is above 60 mg/dL is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. However, high HDL cholesterol can occur because of some medications, alcohol abuse, or thyroid problems. High HDL cholesterol can also occur in some inherited conditions. In these less common cases, high HDL cholesterol may not be beneficial.
HDL cholesterol levels that are under 40 mg/dL are considered to be low, although some organizations consider levels under 50 mg/dL in females to be low. Low HDL cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular problems including serious conditions like heart disease and stroke. Low HDL cholesterol can also be a reflection of an underlying condition like diabetes. The health risks of low HDL cholesterol can be increased when it occurs in conjunction with other abnormal cholesterol levels, such as high levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, or with issues like high blood pressure.