Lipid Profile (Cholesterol Test)
HDL, LDL and triglycerides measured together — the numbers that predict heart risk years in advance.
A lipid profile measures the fats circulating in your blood: total cholesterol, LDL (the fraction that deposits in artery walls), HDL (the fraction that carries cholesterol away for disposal), and triglycerides, the storage fat that rises with sugar, alcohol and fried food. These numbers matter because artery damage is silent for decades — cholesterol does not ache. The lipid profile is one of the few tests that reads your heart-attack and stroke risk years before anything is felt, in mg/dL, the unit used on reports in both India and the US.
Heart disease arrives earlier in South Asians than in most populations, often in the forties, which makes a baseline lipid profile sensible from the mid-thirties onwards — earlier if heart disease runs in the family. The sample is drawn and processed in-house, most routine reports come the same day, and Dr. Khanna interprets the result against your blood pressure, sugar, weight and family history, because the same LDL number carries very different risk in different people.
Who should consider this
- Adults 35 and above who have never had a baseline cholesterol test
- Anyone with a parent or sibling who had a heart attack, stroke or bypass — especially before 55
- People with diabetes or high blood pressure, in whom lipid targets are stricter
- Those carrying central weight — a belly out of proportion to the frame — or a sedentary desk routine
- Smokers and regular drinkers, both of which push triglycerides and damage arteries
- Anyone already on cholesterol-lowering tablets, to check whether the dose is achieving its target
How to prepare
Fasting: traditionally 9–12 hours — follow the instruction given when you book
- The traditional method is a 9–12 hour overnight fast with a morning sample; water is completely fine throughout
- Practice on fasting varies — non-fasting lipid tests are accepted in many situations — so we will tell you exactly what to do when you book
- Avoid alcohol and unusually heavy, fried meals for a day or two before; both can spike triglycerides and distort the report
- Do not test during or just after a significant illness — infections temporarily lower cholesterol and mislead
- Take regular medicines as usual unless told otherwise, and carry previous lipid reports for comparison
What happens at the clinic
The test itself is a routine blood draw from the arm, done in a minute or two — the only real effort is the overnight fast beforehand, if one was advised. Coming early in the morning means you can give the sample and go straight to breakfast. The sample is processed in our own laboratory, which is why routine reports do not stretch into a multi-day wait.
Your report, and what happens next
Most routine lipid reports are ready the same day. Dr. Khanna reads the four numbers together rather than in isolation — a modest LDL with very low HDL and high triglycerides is a different problem from high LDL alone — and weighs them against your age, sugar, blood pressure and family history. The outcome may be dietary and walking changes with a repeat test in three to six months, or medication if the risk is high; if tablets are started, the profile is typically rechecked after about three months.
What it costs
The standard lipid profile is a single package covering total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. The price changes if it is bundled with sugar, thyroid, liver or kidney tests — a common pairing, since these risks travel together — and such bundles usually cost less than the same tests billed separately.
Call +91 73148 55445 for today's rate — it takes a minute and there are no surprise charges.
Common questions
Do I have to fast for a cholesterol test?
Traditionally yes — 9 to 12 hours, water allowed — because triglycerides rise after meals. But practice varies and non-fasting profiles are accepted in many situations, so follow the instruction we give you when you book rather than a fixed rule from the internet.
My cholesterol is high but I am thin. How is that possible?
Cholesterol levels depend on genetics and liver metabolism as much as on body weight, and lean people with a strong family history can carry high LDL for decades. That is exactly why testing matters — appearance does not read blood chemistry.
I feel completely fine. Why should I test?
Because cholesterol produces no symptoms while it works — arteries narrow silently over twenty years and the first sign is too often the event itself. A baseline test in your thirties or forties, repeated every few years, is how the silent phase gets caught while it is still reversible.
If my report is bad, do I immediately need tablets?
Not necessarily. For moderate elevations in an otherwise low-risk person, the first prescription is usually food, weight and a daily walk, with a repeat test in three to six months. Medication enters when the numbers are high, the overall risk is high, or lifestyle change has been given a fair trial and has not moved them.
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