Table of Content
Third, and perhaps most important, blood cholesterol -- unlike blood pressure -- doesn't change on a day-to-day or even week-to-week basis. But even then, testing at home isn't really necessary. The National Cholesterol Education Program, established in 1985, stresses the importance of getting your cholesterol checked at least every five years. Monitoring your cholesterol levels helps you to understand and control your risk for heart disease. Public health fairs offer cholesterol screening tests that use a finger prick cholesterol test, providing a result nearly instantaneously 3. To determine your cardiovascular risk, your doctor will consider your cholesterol test results in context with your age, sex and family history.
A complete cholesterol test is known as a lipid panel or lipid profile. With a complete test, you will be able to measure the amount of good and bad cholesterol in your blood and also know your triglycerides level, a type of fat, in your blood. Everlywell manufactures an entire line of at-home health tests from thyroid to food sensitivity. The companys cholesterol test measures total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, and includes a pre-paid shipping label and envelope.
What Causes Your Cholesterol To Be High
WebMD explores the use of cholesterol home test kits and discusses their reliability. Read on to learn whether using a cholesterol home test kit might be right for you. This buildup could lead to a blockage and a heart attack, with symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. The American Heart Association recommends that adults aged 20 or older should get their cholesterol checked every four to six years.
Basically, this test helps you learn how your lifestyle is impacting your long-term health, which can help you determine whether you need to make any significant lifestyle changes. After you submit your finger-prick blood sample via the pre-paid envelope, your results will be available for review on the Choose Health app within seven days. The packet contains a test card, a lancet, and a plaster. If the test produces a result outside of the 5 mmol/L range, consult with your doctor for a full blood lipid panel and their advice on how to better manage your blood cholesterol. CardioChek’s cholesterol kit is suitable for people who smoke and those with diabetes, low HDL cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure. Share your at-home results with your doctor, especially if they’re high.
When To Call The Doctor
HDL is sometimes called good cholesterol, because it can help clear arteries of cholesterol buildup.
To use a cholesterol home test kit, you first prick your finger with the lancet. The cholesterol home test strip has special chemicals that change colors after a few minutes. You then match the final color against a color guide that's included with the kit. This color will tell you how much cholesterol is in your droplet of blood.
Type of Cholesterol Measured
These tests have information about the test's accuracy printed on the product label. Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research.
The test strip is inserted into a meter that contains a computer chip. The computer in the meter analyzes the test strip and displays your results on a screen. This lightweight, battery-operated meter has a storage capacity for 500 readings. This enables you to keep track of your progress over an extended period of time. We chose a variety of test types, including some that get sent to a laboratory for analysis, and some that are read by meters at home. We offered a range of price points to fit multiple budgets.
However, the current research suggests that reducing our LDL levels and raising our HDL levels reduces our risk of heart disease and stroke. The Food and Drug Administration states that at-home tests they have approved are about as accurate as the tests done by your doctor if you follow the instructions correctly. These tests have information about the test’s accuracy printed on the product label. Also, be sure to tell your health care provider if your at-home test results shown your cholesterol level is higher than 200 mg/dl. A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial.
Ideally, the health care professional will contact you with those results and explain their significance. However, if you have not been contacted in a short period of time, it is reasonable to contact your health care professional and ask for the test results. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Foods that are high in cholesterol are not the only contributor to bad cholesterol levels.
At-home testing may be less expensive than seeing your doctor, especially if you have no health insurance or a high deductible plan. If cost has been keeping you out of your doctor’s office, at-home testing has clear benefits. An online search for the best home cholesterol kits will yield lists from a variety of sources like Best Reviews, All Top Guide, and VeryWell Fit. He adds that for more accurate results, cholesterol testing requires 12 hour fasting that must also be done for an at-home test.
In fact, WebMD claims over-the-counter cholesterol tests are 95 percent accurate. While that isnt as accurate as your doctors reading , the ease of use and affordability of home tests make them worth the money. They range in price from $50-$300, and come with all the tools you need to quickly check your cholesterol levels. While it can take weeks to learn your ordered test results, home tests can take as little as five minutes to read and report your levels. High cholesterol is often treatable and manageable with medications and lifestyle changes. Home cholesterol tests allow you to check your cholesterol level between doctor visits.
But alternative methods for measuring whole blood, although less reliable, can provide a good estimate of the blood cholesterol components." We researched dozens of cholesterol test kits and evaluated them for reviews, test types, result speeds, types of cholesterol measured, accuracy, and price. Each of the products chosen in this article was determined to be the best of these factors. With laboratory-based tests, people receive their at-home test kit with all the tools they need, such as alcohol swabs, collection tubes, and pre-addressed envelopes.
Try with a different finger and, if that doesn’t work, have the test done by a medical professional. Squeezing your finger (or “milking” your finger) to push out blood may mess up your test results. If you aren’t getting any blood flow, try again with a new lancet on a different finger. If that still doesn’t work, have a medical professional conduct your test.
What Do the Results From a Cholesterol Home Test Kit Mean?
Using at-home cholesterol tests is a convenient way for people to test their cholesterol levels without needing to make an appointment with a healthcare professional. Invest in a digital tester if you need to check your cholesterol regularly. If you’re interested in tracking your cholesterol over time and you want specific readings for different types of cholesterol, make this your choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment