High Cholesterol

Total blood cholesterol is the most common measurement of blood cholesterol. Knowing your total blood cholesterol level is an important first step in determining your risk for heart disease. However, a critical second step is knowing your HDL ("good") and your LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels.

Your doctor must interpret your cholesterol numbers based on other risk factors, such as age, family history, smoking, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes.

Total Cholesterol

• Less than 200 mg/dL - desirable blood cholesterol
• 200 to 239 mg/dl - borderline high blood cholesterol
• 240 mg/dl and over - high blood cholesterol

HDL Cholesterol

• Less than 40 mg/dl - low HDL cholesterol
• Greater than or equal to 60 mg/dl - high HDL cholesterol

These recommendations are altered in patients with known coronary heart disease as a "normal" or "desirable" total cholesterol may be "too high" for such patients. Cholesterol lowering drugs are commonly prescribed for such patients.