Lipid Profile

• Cholesterol: High cholesterol is bad for your heart, as too much of cholesterol combines with other substances to form plaques, which cause obstruction in the arteries (vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from heart to all parts of body).
• Triglycerides: These are the most common type of fat stored in your body. Triglycerides increase in your blood after having a meal - as your body converts energy that is not needed right away to fat. Frequently triglycerides are also elevated when the previous night’s dinner is high in calories or includes alcohol.
• H.D.L. Cholesterol: HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) is “good” cholesterol because it reduces your chances of getting a heart attack by removing the harmful bad cholesterol and keeping the blood flowing freely.
• L.D.L. Cholesterol: LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) is “bad” cholesterol because it deposits fat (plaques) around your blood vessels to cause heart disease.
• V.L.D.L. Cholesterol: VLDL (Very Low-Density Lipoprotein) is made by your liver and is used to carry triglycerides to your tissues.
• Non-H.D.L. Cholesterol: Non-HDL Cholesterol is basically all the “bad” type of cholesterol. There is no specific reference range for this. Ideally, you want this number to be low rather than high..
• Cholesterol-H.D.L. ratio: : This ratio determines the proportion of good and bad cholesterol in the blood. A low cholesterol triglyceride ratio indicates a healthy proportion of lipids in the bloodstream. Therefore, a low ratio should be maintained.
• Cholesterol-triglyceride ratio: It measures the difference in volume and size of RBCs.
• Apo A: Lipids are transported with the help of a protein called lipoprotein. These proteins combine with lipids. Their deficiency indicates a risk of developing heart disease especially when HDL levels are low.
• Apo B: Apolipoprotein B is the main component of VLDL and LDL. Since these are “bad” cholesterol, high Apo B might also be a cause of concern.
• Lipo (a): Lipoprotein (a) indicates the genetic predisposition of an individual to having a deranged lipid profile. Such individuals are advised to be more careful about diet, and exercise regularly.
• Apo A: Apo B ratio: Higher ApoB/ ApoA1 ratio (>0.9) has an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse events(anginas, myocardial infarctions, heart failures, strokes, and cardiac deaths.).
• Homocysteine: It is an amino acid that is typically present in very small amounts in all cells of the body. That is because the body normally converts homocysteine into other products quickly. Since vitamins B6, B12, and folate (vitamin B9) are necessary to metabolise homocysteine, increased levels of the amino acid may be a sign of deficiency in those vitamins. This test determines the level of homocysteine in the blood. High Homocysteine levels may be associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, hardening of arteries and blood clot formation. Level of Homocysteine in blood is greatly increased in an extremely rare condition known as Homocytinurea but more commonly is seen elevated whenever the patient is deficient in B12 or any other type B vitamins.

A rare inherited condition called homocystinuria can also greatly increase homocysteine in the blood and might be a part of newborn screening.

Risk factors related to lipid profile

An elevated lipid profile/ cholesterol level can lead to heart disease (cardiovascular disease). Following are the risk factors that one must keep in mind for a healthy heart: