The band is then removed to restore circulation, and blood continues to flow into the vial. This causes the veins in your arm to fill with blood.Īfter the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood is collected into a vial or syringe. Blood is drawn from a vein, usually from your arm.īefore the needle is inserted, the puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic and an elastic band is wrapped around your upper arm. What you can expect During the procedureĪ cholesterol test is a blood test, usually done in the morning if you fast overnight. Some cholesterol tests don't require fasting, so follow your doctor's instructions. You're generally required to fast, consuming no food or liquids other than water, for nine to 12 hours before the test. You might have soreness or tenderness around the site where your blood is drawn. There's little risk in getting a cholesterol test. People undergoing treatment for high cholesterol require regular cholesterol testing to monitor the effectiveness of their treatments. Have a family history of high cholesterol or heart attacks.More-frequent testing might be needed if your initial test results were abnormal or if you already have coronary artery disease, you're taking cholesterol-lowering medications or you're at higher risk of coronary artery disease because you: People over 65 should receive cholesterol tests annually. The NHLBI recommends that cholesterol screenings occur every 1 to 2 years for men ages 45 to 65 and for women ages 55 to 65. High triglyceride levels are associated with several factors, including being overweight, eating too many sweets or drinking too much alcohol, smoking, being sedentary, or having diabetes with elevated blood sugar levels.Īccording to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a person's first cholesterol screening should occur between the ages of 9 and 11 and then be repeated every five years after that. When you eat, your body converts calories it doesn't need into triglycerides, which are stored in fat cells. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood.

This is called the 'good' cholesterol because it helps carry away LDL cholesterol, thus keeping arteries open and your blood flowing more freely. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.These plaques sometimes rupture and can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Too much of it in your blood causes the buildup of fatty deposits (plaques) in your arteries (atherosclerosis), which reduces blood flow.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

This is a sum of your blood's cholesterol content. A complete cholesterol test is done to determine whether your cholesterol is high and to estimate your risk of heart attacks and other forms of heart disease and diseases of the blood vessels.Ī complete cholesterol test includes the calculation of four types of fats in your blood: High cholesterol usually causes no signs or symptoms.

Blood triglycerides normal range