Medical Questions » Cholesterol Questions » Question No. 211
| Question: | I had a cholesterol test taken in a mobile unit, and the result was 7.9. The nurse told me this was too high and I should go to a doctor and ask for medication. I am a fit woman, and eat sensibly, and I don' t see why I should have high cholesterol and take tablets forever. What do you think? |
| Answer: | You have raised a number of very important points in your question.
Firstly, the measurement of cholesterol in the blood is technically very difficult, and there may be a 5% or greater variation in results even between major laboratories. The small machines used for screening are often poorly calibrated and maintained, and variations of up to 20% are possible. A 20% variation in your result could give a true reading between 6.3 and 9.4—quite a difference!
A cholesterol test done at random is also quite useless, as the food you had eaten in the previous few hours could significantly alter the result. The only reliable method is to take a sample after you have fasted for twelve hours (ie. overnight), and to have the test performed by a major laboratory.
Even then, if you have a high cholesterol level, there are two different types of cholesterol—high density and low density—and the ratio between them is more important than the absolute cholesterol reading. High density cholesterol is good, low density is bad.
The next point is the recommendation by the nurse. You should certainly see your doctor for further assessment, and the first thing your doctor will do after proving by further tests that your cholesterol is too high, is to assess the other risk factors in your life and family. If you smoke, have high blood pressure, are obese and have a bad family history of heart disease treatment is more necessary than in those who have none of these risk factors.
The first step in treatment is diet, and avoiding foods high in animal fats can often lower the cholesterol level significantly.
Only as a last resort is medication prescribed, and there are a number of different medications available. Your GP will determine the best medication for you, depending on your individual circumstances and characteristics.
Unfortunately the level of fitness has no effect upon cholesterol levels.
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