Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio
Learn your Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio for cardiovascular risk assessment. Track heart health with comprehensive lipid monitoring.
What is Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio?
The total cholesterol/HDL ratio compares your total cholesterol to your HDL (“good”) cholesterol. This ratio provides a simple assessment of cardiovascular risk by showing the balance between total cholesterol burden and protective HDL cholesterol.
Why is it Tested?
Doctors use this ratio as a quick cardiovascular risk assessment tool. It’s particularly useful because it incorporates both total cholesterol (risk factor) and HDL cholesterol (protective factor) into a single number that’s easy to interpret and track over time.
Normal Ranges
Cardiovascular risk categories based on ratio:
- Optimal: <4.0
- Normal: 4.0–5.0
- High risk: >5.0
Lower ratios indicate better cardiovascular protection, with ratios below 3.5 considered excellent.
Reference ranges vary by authority. Track yours across multiple standards with automatic unit conversions in LabsVault.
What do Abnormal Results Mean?
Abnormal results are not a diagnosis. Always discuss your results with a qualified healthcare provider before making any medical decisions.
Low Ratio (Optimal)
Favorable ratios indicate:
- Lower cardiovascular disease risk
- Good balance of cholesterol types
- Adequate HDL protection
High Ratio
Elevated ratios suggest:
- Increased cardiovascular disease risk
- Low protective HDL cholesterol
- High total cholesterol burden
- Need for lifestyle or medical intervention
How to Track Over Time
This ratio responds to both cholesterol-lowering interventions and HDL-raising strategies like exercise. Improving ratios over time indicate successful cardiovascular risk reduction, while worsening trends may warrant more aggressive treatment approaches.
Track your Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio results over time
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