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What Do These Cholesterol Levels Indicate?
Question: I was looking at my blood work and my cholesterol, total =205; triglycerides = 116; HDL Cholesterol =54; LDL Cholesteral Calc = 128 and Hemoglobin A1c=8.6H. I was not fasting when the test was taken around 3:30pm. Ate banana, yogurt, fruit juice, big breakfast other sweet snacks before I went to the doctor because I didn't know they were going to draw blood. What do these results mean?
Brief Answer:
Diabetes is poorly managed! Lipids to be revisited
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.
A1C of 8.6 is higher than the desired value for diabetic patients. This value is not affected by fasting or food ingestion and thus can be appropriately interpreted. Please, follow up with your doctors and make sure that your diabetes is well controlled.
As concerns the lipid tests(cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides), the test can be done in a fasting or non fasting state. Ask your doctors if they used the fasting ranges or non fasting ranges to interpret . So long as they used the right reference intervals following whether you were fasting or not, there is no problem. From a gross look, there is no major problem with these figures. Following up is simply to make sure they got all the details to interpret right.
I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.
Diabetes is poorly managed! Lipids to be revisited
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.
A1C of 8.6 is higher than the desired value for diabetic patients. This value is not affected by fasting or food ingestion and thus can be appropriately interpreted. Please, follow up with your doctors and make sure that your diabetes is well controlled.
As concerns the lipid tests(cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides), the test can be done in a fasting or non fasting state. Ask your doctors if they used the fasting ranges or non fasting ranges to interpret . So long as they used the right reference intervals following whether you were fasting or not, there is no problem. From a gross look, there is no major problem with these figures. Following up is simply to make sure they got all the details to interpret right.
I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
When I did my physical two years ago I didn't have diabetes or high cholesterol. This is the first time my doctor told me I had it...so I couldn't take care of something I didn't know I had. I have to do blood work again in December this time he asked me to fast before doing it. Can those numbers go down with changes in diet and more exercise?
Brief Answer:
Yes, diet and exercise work wonders!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this detailed information.
I agree with you that you could not have taken care of something you never knew that you have. If I may ask, d your drink a lot, urinate a lot? What is your weight and height?
I will not want your doctor to wait up to December before controlling this abnormal A1C value. He should follow up with blood sugar measurements to confirm whether you have diabetes or not. A1C of 8.5 is high enough to act immediately. For the lipid numbers, waiting up to December is okay.
Exercise and diet do marvels. In fact, these are the first measures used in addressing increased numbers an diabetes. It is only when they fail to bring down the numbers to desired figures that drugs come in. Whether alone or with drugs, this is a major arm in the treatment of lipids disorders and diabetes and overall health.
I hope that this helps. I wish you well. Would address any further concerns should you have any.
Yes, diet and exercise work wonders!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this detailed information.
I agree with you that you could not have taken care of something you never knew that you have. If I may ask, d your drink a lot, urinate a lot? What is your weight and height?
I will not want your doctor to wait up to December before controlling this abnormal A1C value. He should follow up with blood sugar measurements to confirm whether you have diabetes or not. A1C of 8.5 is high enough to act immediately. For the lipid numbers, waiting up to December is okay.
Exercise and diet do marvels. In fact, these are the first measures used in addressing increased numbers an diabetes. It is only when they fail to bring down the numbers to desired figures that drugs come in. Whether alone or with drugs, this is a major arm in the treatment of lipids disorders and diabetes and overall health.
I hope that this helps. I wish you well. Would address any further concerns should you have any.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
200lbs; 5.3height. Used to drink and urine more before the doctor told me about the diabetes. ...haven't been in the past couple weeks since I don't eat a bag of peppermint a week and cut back on carbs. Doctor gave me a prescription for metformin but haven't fill it yet concerned my sugar level will drop too low because he didn't give anything to check my sugar level daily and don't want to be stuck on meds forever. Am on high blood pressure meds already. I want to be healthy and no depend on meds...
Brief Answer:
Continue with exercise and diet, drugs is needed!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for this detailed information.
Diet and exercise would all be very helpful at controlling diabetes, high blood pressure and high lipids levels. Intensify and continue these measures.
About the metformin, please talk to your doctor to get the glucose values controlled and your medications adjusted accordingly. Do not let this go on for long without a clear idea on whether medications would have helped or not.
Let me know if there is anything more you would like us to talk about now. I wish you well and keep me updated with your progress.
Continue with exercise and diet, drugs is needed!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for this detailed information.
Diet and exercise would all be very helpful at controlling diabetes, high blood pressure and high lipids levels. Intensify and continue these measures.
About the metformin, please talk to your doctor to get the glucose values controlled and your medications adjusted accordingly. Do not let this go on for long without a clear idea on whether medications would have helped or not.
Let me know if there is anything more you would like us to talk about now. I wish you well and keep me updated with your progress.
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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