What is a cholesterol ratio? What makes it different from cholesterol numbers? What role does it play in the treatment of heart disease? These are just some questions we will try to answer in the succeeding article. If you have a high cholesterol level or are just concerned about your cholesterol and want to know how to manage it, read on. 

A Cholesterol ratio, instead of the total blood cholesterol, is used by some doctors and cholesterol technicians in diagnosing atherosclerosis, or the disorder characterized by the accumulation of cholesterol on the walls of the arteries. The cholesterol ratio is derived by dividing the total cholesterol by the HDL cholesterol. 

To illustrate further how a cholesterol ratio can be determined, let’s take an example of a patient with a total cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 50, his cholesterol ratio would be 4:1. The average ratio would be 4.5:1 or below 5:1, and the most ideal cholesterol ratio would be about 2:1 or 3:1 or anything under 4:1. This means that a high cholesterol ratio indicates a high risk for heart disease and a low cholesterol ratio is a lesser risk factor. 

One other cholesterol ratio is the LDL/HDL ratio. This is considered as a more accurate because it is derived from the measurements of good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). The measurement of the total blood cholesterol is not as accurate in the sense that the total blood cholesterol is the sum of other numbers like HDL, LDL, and other lipid components like the Triglycerides. The measure of total blood cholesterol includes HDL which is considered good cholesterol and does not pose a cardiac risk. Thus, the total blood cholesterol measurement is not as good an indicator of heart disease as the LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio. 

You might then ask if it is possible to have a high measurement for total blood cholesterol and a low LDL/HDL ratio. The answer is yes, it is definitely possible. A patient with a high absolute value for the total blood cholesterol can have a low LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio. 

This concept is best explained by looking at the compositions of the total blood cholesterol. It is merely derived from the measurements of the LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides. A high total blood cholesterol yet a low LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio would mean that the Triglycerides have contributed a lot. The triglycerides are the only ones unaccounted for in an LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio. Therefore, the presence of the triglycerides in the blood makes the total blood cholesterol rise. 

Even if the LDL/HDL cholesterol level is a reliable indicator of a risk for heart disease, the American Heart Association still suggests that the values obtained in the lipoprotein test for the total blood cholesterol and the HDL cholesterol level be used by doctors as a basis for their diagnosis and treatment of patients. 

Now that you have an idea of what a cholesterol ratio is, and how to determine it, you are on the right track in keeping your cholesterol level normal. By getting your cholesterol ratio, you will be safe from having heart diseases which may lead to cardiac arrest. Consult your doctor regularly to determine your cholesterol ratio so as to avoid any bad effects of high cholesterol levels.