Check the Cholesterol Numbers on Your Checkup Results

What does a lipid test measure?

The KDCA's National Health Information Portal describes the lipid test as a blood test that measures the fats in your blood. A standard test covers four items.

• Total cholesterol: the overall amount of cholesterol in your blood.
• LDL cholesterol: often called "bad" cholesterol. It is explained as building up on artery walls and causing atherosclerosis, and the portal calls it the most important number.
• HDL cholesterol: often called "good" cholesterol. It is said to carry cholesterol in your vessels back to the liver to be removed.
• Triglycerides: the form in which fatty acids are stored in the body. The portal says high levels can cause atherosclerosis.

Which numbers are the benchmarks on your results?

When you get your results, match them line by line against the benchmarks below. The National Health Information Portal (updated 2026) says dyslipidemia is diagnosed if any one of the four items meets its criterion.

HDL cholesterol differs from the other three in that it meets the criterion when it is low, not high. The same page also explains that the LDL cholesterol level at which treatment starts, and its target, depend on your cardiovascular risk group. The table above is the diagnostic criteria, and your own LDL target is set separately by your risk group.

What do high or low numbers mean?

The KDCA portal's guides to lipid tests and dyslipidemia (updated 2026) explain each item differently.

• It says that for every 1 mg/dL drop in HDL cholesterol, the risk of coronary artery disease rises by 2 to 3%.
• It says that when triglycerides rise to 500 mg/dL or higher, the risk of acute pancreatitis goes up.
• It explains that dyslipidemia mostly has no symptoms and is found by a blood test.

This is general information. A single reading is not a basis for judging your own condition.

What should you do before the test?

The portal's dyslipidemia guide (updated 2026) treats a fasting blood test as the standard. It gives a minimum of 9 hours of fasting and a recommended 12 hours or more. Its lipid test guide (updated 2026) explains that triglyceride results can differ a lot depending on whether you have eaten, and it also advises sitting and resting for at least 5 minutes before the blood draw.

For reference, LDL cholesterol was widely calculated from the total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride values. The portal says this calculation becomes inaccurate when triglycerides are very high, so a separate direct measurement is used. You can ask your screening institution whether the LDL figure on your results is calculated or measured directly.

What should you do after you get your results?

The portal's lipid test guide (updated 2026) explains that, after a dyslipidemia diagnosis, follow-up lipid tests at least once a year, matched to your cardiovascular risk level, help prevent complications. Keep in mind that this interval applies to people who have already been diagnosed.

When you get your results, jot down the three things below. It makes a consultation much easier.

• The values for the four items and the assessment marked on your results
• How long you fasted before the test and what you ate last
• Your family history and any conditions you have

When should you contact a medical institution?

If your results are marked as suspected dyslipidemia or as needing a consultation, talk to a medical institution. Don't decide on a diet or treatment yourself from the numbers. Set your target values and follow-up test timing together with your doctor.

If one side of your body suddenly goes numb or weak, or you have trouble speaking, don't wait for a checkup consultation. Call 119 for help right away. The KDCA portal's stroke guide (updated 2026) advises going to an emergency room when you have sudden symptoms like these.