By going to the doctor and getting a simple blood test done to check your cholesterol, you can find out what your levels of cholesterol are. When you go to get your cholesterol checked, they’ll check all the levels of your cholesterol. Your test will come back showing the levels of your cholesterol and what they could mean for your health. Your doctor will also take the information about your age, family history, smoking and your blood pressure into account.

The levels of cholesterol checked by the test will be your total blood cholesterol level, your HDL cholesterol level, your LDL cholesterol level and your triglyceride level. These are all very important levels of your cholesterol and each one means something different for you. This information will tell your doctor what your risk of heart disease may be based on your cholesterol levels and family history.

If you have a total blood cholesterol level less then 200 mg this is good level and will put you at a low risk for heart disease. If it’s above 200 mg, you’re considered to be borderline high risk. Your doctor will probably recommend that you change your lifestyle to lower your blood cholesterol level and request that you have your cholesterol checked more often. If it’s over 240 mg, then you are at high risk and your doctor will want to put you on a treatment plan and probably prescribe medication to help you lower it.

If your HDL cholesterol level is higher, then this is good. Low HDL levels can also put you at a high risk for heart disease and other problems. If your LDL cholesterol level is low then that’s good, too, as this will help to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

If your triglyceride level is high, this could mean that you have a high total cholesterol level. People can have a high triglyceride level because they’re overweight, smoke cigarettes, are inactive and drink too much alcohol. These levels can mean different things for you, so you must go to your doctor to get the treatment that is best for your cholesterol levels.

Unfortunately, there are usually no symptoms to reveal that you’re getting high cholesterol. That’s the scary part, not knowing. You will not even know you have high cholesterol unless you go to a doctor and have it checked.

When symptoms do reveal themselves, it may be too late because the symptoms are usually angina, a heart attack or a stroke resulting from the plaque that has built up in your arteries. That’s why it’s so important to go to your doctor regularly and have your cholesterol levels checked. You may need to change your lifestyle and begin taking better care of yourself, or your doctor may put you on medication if your cholesterol levels are severe.

To diagnosis high cholesterol, you’ll need to go to your doctor and get a blood test. To get a reliable reading of your cholesterol, your doctor may ask you to not eat or drink anything for up to twelve hours before you get tested. He may also ask you to avoid exercising for up to twenty-four hours before your test.

If the test is inaccurate he will require you to take a second test. However, you may have to wait a while before taking the second test. There are home tests you can get and check your cholesterol but they may not be as complete and accurate as the one your doctor would give.

There is a new test that’s able to check the cholesterol levels in your skin. This test can also determine your risk of heart disease if you have high levels of cholesterol in your skin. You should start having your cholesterol levels checked by age twenty and have it checked again at least every five years if you have normal cholesterol.

If you’re an adult who has risk factors, you should go and get your cholesterol checked every two years or more often. If your parents have high cholesterol or heart disease, this can also indicate a risk factor for you so you’ll need to have your cholesterol checked more often.