Blood tests / cholesterol

[LaPerduta]

I had some blood tests recently and while I can see the results on my GP's surgery website I don't actually know what they mean! Is there someone with medical training who can interpret these results, all listed under the section entitled "Serum lipids"? They were all within a normal range except for Serum cholesterol for which the reading was just above what it should be.

Serum cholesterol - 5.3 mmol/L
Serum triglycerides
Serum HDL cholesterol level
Serum non HDL cholesterol level
Calculated HDL cholsterol level
Serum cholesterol / HDL ratio

I assume I should be trying to reduce my cholesterol? What are the implications of serum cholesterol being slightly high? I'm not overweight (BMI = 19.8).

Any tips welcome! Thank you.

The readings can fluctuate from test to test, so if you're just a bit above normal range I wouldn't worry about it. Was the test ordered as part of an annual physical exam?

By the way, your body makes cholesterol in the liver. It's a chemical building block for many hormones. So some is necessary.

Thank you. Yes, just the GP doing a general check, not promped by any particular symptoms.