Testing, testing

A cholesterol test, also called a lipid profile, is a simple blood test that measures more than just the total amount of cholesterol in your blood.

Your cholesterol target levels depend on your level of heart disease risk. Your doctor will calculate this risk based on your age, gender, cholesterol levels, and general health. You can calculate it yourself using our target cholesterol levels and heart disease risk calculator. For a more detailed discussion of cholesterol target levels and to learn more about what your targets should be, see Setting goals.

The latest Canadian Cholesterol Guidelines recommend cholesterol testing for:

What is hs-CRP? C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein that the liver makes when there is inflammation in the body. It's also called a marker of inflammation, and can be measured with an hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) test, sometimes also called a CRP test. Inflammation is a way for the body to protect itself from injuries or infections, and inflammation can be caused by smoking, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.

Depending on your individual circumstances, your doctor may recommend other tests to help assess your risk of heart disease, including: blood pressure blood sugar (to screen for diabetes) waist circumference (waist size) waist-to-hip ratio (the size of your waist compared to your hips) body mass index (BMI) apo B (a molecule that's part of LDL and VLDL-C): may be used for people with the metabolic syndrome Lp(a): may be used for people with a family history of early heart disease Talk to your doctor to learn more about these tests and to find out whether you should be tested.