Does anyone understand cholesterol figures?

[Cutelittlesquizzer]

I have an annual blood test for liver, kidney function and cholesterol as I’ve had medication for high blood pressure since my early 20s. I’m over 60 now. I’ve always tried to understand cholesterol levels but can’t say I can fathom out of mine are ok or if I should be on statins. My diet is as good as I can get it with oily fish, fruit, veggies, pulses etc. I don’t smoke or drink.

My GP aren’t great at getting in touch over test results unless it’s something really serious . This years results are
Serum Cholesterol 5.6
Serum HDL cholesterol 2.2
Serum triglycerides 1.6
Serum LDL cholesterol 2.7
Serum non HDL cholesterol 3.4
Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio 2.5

Can anyone tell me if these are within an acceptable range for a woman over 60 with high BP. I’ve no idea if I need to ask the GP whether she thinks statins would be a good idea. Thanks so much.

Really good results.
Total cholesterol is just overall number, the breakdown is what's key.
HDL is good cholesterol, that's pretty high
LDL is bad, made in the liver, that's low,
TRiglycerides is bad, lifestyle related, a decent result,
Ratio of 2.5 is balance of good and bad. Preferred is less than 4.5 so another good result.
On that basis alone statins wouldn't be indicated, but may be however if your Q risk (risk of cardiovascular disease) is over 10% regardless of lipids.
Age is the biggest factor for contributing to Q risk score., BP, family history, BMI, health conditions, ethnicity etc all contribute to the calculation too. Ask what your Q Risk is and take it from there.

That’s so helpful. Thanks so much cptartapp.
I always google to try make sense of the readings but can never seem to work out if it’s ok or not. Next time I see the nurse or doctor I’ll ask about Q risk but I’m happy if my bp is under control and cholesterol is ok. Thanks again.

Was it a fasting test OP? I ask because your triglycerides are just near the cut off if it was, but we'll within range if not - Heart UK is quite good on explainations for these sort of tests: www.heartuk.org.uk/cholesterol/triglycerides
As PP says, your overall risks are more than just cholesterol level results so worth chatting with your GP.

Bloatstoat. It wasn’t a fasting blood test . It was take at 3.30 so Id had breakfast and lunch. Will definitely ask about overall risk. Thanks for your help.

I’ll look at heart.uk too thanks.

Heart UKs info about cholesterol results are really clear. Thanks for that.