Lipid Profile: A Check On the Health Status of the Heart

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The heart is arguably the most popular body part. The heart is mentioned in so many instances — in emotional matters, in religious issues, and health concerned issues. Probably, you lost a relative due to a heart disease or heard some of the world’s generational heroes sadly died of heart-related diseases.

The heart plays an important role in our health:  it pumps and distributes blood to all parts of our body, which ensures our survival. The heart is always working. The moment is stops beating, life ceases.

It is therefore essential to check the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease periodically (Cardio = heart, vascular = pertaining to structures that convey fluids, such as blood). This could be done in several ways, but one common and reliable method is to conduct a laboratory investigation to check your lipid profile.

A Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) conducts this test. It is preferable to fast for a period of 10-12 hours (preferably overnight fast). This is because the kind of food you take could alter the results from the test, and the report issued wouldn’t be reflective of your true cardiovascular risk.

A blood sample is used to carry out the test. An analyzer is used to measure or quantify some parameters related to cardiovascular health. These include

  • Total Cholesterol (TC)
  • High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
  • Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
  • Triglycerides

At this point, it is essential to know that the infamous “cholesterol” isn’t really a bad entity. Cholesterol plays key roles in the human body including the production of hormones such as testosterone (this hormone plays an important role male fertility). In addition, cholesterol is used in Vitamin D and Bile production. Cholesterol also plays a very important part in both the creation and maintenance of human cell membrane. So you see? It’s not as bad as they preach it to be, but like any good thing, excess intake poses danger. The liver produces cholesterol too, so don’t have the mentality of taking in cholesterol because you know your body needs it, but rather take it in regulated manner.

Lipoproteins are carriers of cholesterol, that is lipoproteins are carrier bags, and cholesterol are the content they carry. HDL is normally referred to us “good cholesterol” because it removes excess cholesterol from the blood vessels and carries it to the liver for removal. On the other hand, LDL usually referred to as “bad cholesterol” deposits excess cholesterol in walls of blood vessels, which can contribute to atherosclerosis (a usual cause of heart attack), increasing your risk of developing cardiovascular disorder.

A measure of these parameters put together will give a broad indication if you have a cardiovascular risk. Check your lipid profile today. Kindly contact +233 540 666 781.

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