South Central Health Screenings

Cholesterol Screening

Cholesterol is one of several components that form your lipid profile. Total Cholesterol (TC) is the measure of both “good” and “bad” cholesterol in your blood at a given time. Total Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). A total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dl is desirable.

The “good” cholesterol is called High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. It removes excess cholesterol from your arteries and moves it to the liver for further processing or to be eliminated from the body. The higher your HDL, the better. An HDL of 60 mg/dl is beneficial and considered a negative risk factor. An HDL of 40 mg/dl or lower is considered a risk factor for heart disease. A TC/HDL ratio is total cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol. Some healthcare professionals may use this ratio to assess risk for developing heart disease—lower ratios are associated with lower risk.

The “bad” cholesterol is called Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. It contributes to the buildup of fat deposits in your arteries (atherosclerosis), which can cause decreased blood flow to the heart or brain and cause heart attack or stroke. About 65% of the cholesterol in your blood is LDL. An LDL of less than 130 mg/dl is desirable. If you have a personal history of coronary heart disease of diabetes, or if you have multiple risk factors, your LDL should be below 100 mg/dl.

Triglycerides (TRG) are composed of fatty acids and glycerol. Like cholesterol, they circulate in the blood, but are stored in the body fat and used when the body needs extra energy. While the triglyceride level can be significantly affected by how recently you have eaten, total cholesterol and HDL are only slightly affected. After eating, your triglyceride level increases significantly. If your body processes fat efficiently , the level of Triglygerides will decrease naturally. Your fasting triglyceride level should be below 150 mg/dl.

National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines recommend regular cholesterol screening for all adults as well as children in families with cardiovascular risk factors. NCEP guidelines recommend that you test your lipids every 6 weeks until your goals are met and every 4 to 6 months thereafter.

People with diabetes have a two to four fold higher risk for having cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack than non-diabetics. Up to one half of type 2 diabetics (non-insulin dependent) have coronary heart disease. Glucose is the measure of the sugar level in the blood. Fasting glucose levels should be below 100 mg/dL. If you are overweight of have a family history of diabetes, your glucose levels should be checked periodically to see if you have diabetes. 80% of type-2 diabetics (non-insulin dependent) are diabetic simply because they are overweight. Obesity also contributes to high levels of cholesterol for people with diabetes.

Diabetes prevalence in PA increased form 6% in 1995 to 8% in 2005, surpassing the current

national average of 7%.
From 1999 to 2003, in PA, the hospitalization rate for long-term complications of a principal diagnosis of diabetes increased by 14 percent and for the short term complications by 12 percent.
Between 2000 and 2004, the number of hospitalizations where diabetes was the principal diagnosis rose by 8.6%, growing from 21,842 to 23,725 hospitalization.
Between 2000 and 2004, PA hospitalizations rates for diabetes increased with age. The most pronounced increase was in the 20 to 39 age group, where admissions rates jumped 26.0 percent.
PA 2004 data show that due to diabetic complications, at a rate of 6.4 per 10,000 African American residents had a lower extremity amputation rate 73 percent higher than that of whites (3.7 per 10,000) and continue to have the highest rates for hospitalizations for end-stage renal disease.

Totals for diabetes related hospital charges in Pennsylvania over the past 5 years have reached over $2.6 billion in hospital charges and over 649,000 days in the Hospital.
In 2004 alone, the hospitalizations where diabetes was the principal diagnosis accounted for over 131,800 hospital days and incurred over $673 million in hospital charges.

Source: 2005 PHC4 Diabetes Hospitalization Report.