High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) Test: Inflammation, Heart Risk, Normal Range, and Results
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, often written as hs-CRP, is a blood test that measures very small amounts of C-reactive protein, a protein that rises when...
Homocysteine Blood Test: High Homocysteine, Normal Range, B Vitamins, and Cardiovascular Risk
A homocysteine blood test measures the amount of homocysteine in your blood, usually reported in micromoles per liter (µmol/L). Homocysteine is an amino acid...
hs-CRP and Lipid Panel: Interpreting Inflammation and Heart Risk
A lipid panel shows the cholesterol and triglyceride pattern that helps drive plaque buildup in arteries. hs-CRP adds a different layer: it measures low-grade...
IDL Cholesterol Test: High IDL, Normal Range, Remnant Cholesterol, and Atherosclerosis Risk
Intermediate-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or IDL cholesterol, is a small but important part of the cholesterol picture. IDL forms as very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles are...
LDL Cholesterol Test Normal and Optimal Range: Reference Values and Targets
LDL cholesterol is the main cholesterol result used to estimate and manage atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. Atherosclerosis is the slow buildup of cholesterol-rich plaque...
LDL Particle Number (LDL-P) Test: High LDL-P, Normal Range, Particle Count, and Heart Disease Risk
LDL particle number, often reported as LDL-P, measures how many low-density lipoprotein particles are circulating in the blood. That is different from LDL cholesterol,...
LDL Particle Size Test: Pattern A, Pattern B, Small Dense LDL, and Heart Disease Risk
An LDL particle size test looks beyond the usual LDL cholesterol number and describes the size pattern of low-density lipoprotein particles in the blood....
LDL/HDL Ratio Test: Normal Range, High Ratio, Cholesterol Risk, and Meaning
The LDL/HDL ratio is a simple cholesterol calculation that compares low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, often called LDL or “bad” cholesterol, with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, often...
LDL-P vs ApoB: Particle Number, Atherogenic Risk, and Meaning
LDL-P and ApoB are advanced lipid markers that look beyond how much cholesterol is inside LDL particles. They help estimate how many atherogenic, or...
Lipid Panel Test: Total Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglycerides, Normal Ranges, and Results
A lipid panel is a blood test that measures the main fats and fat-carrying particles linked with artery health, heart attack risk, stroke risk,...
Lipoprotein Fractionation Test: LDL, HDL, VLDL, IDL, Lipoprotein Particles, and Results
A lipoprotein fractionation test gives a closer look at the particles that carry cholesterol and triglycerides through the blood. A standard lipid panel reports...
Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] Test: High Lp(a), Normal Range, Genetics, and Heart Disease Risk
Lipoprotein(a), usually written as Lp(a), is a cholesterol-carrying particle that can raise the risk of heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and calcific aortic...
Low HDL Cholesterol Test: Causes, Heart Risk, Metabolic Health, and Meaning
HDL cholesterol is often called “good cholesterol,” but a low HDL result is more than a simple good-or-bad number. HDL is part of a...
Low LDL Cholesterol Test: Causes, Very Low LDL, Health Effects, and Meaning
LDL cholesterol is often called “bad cholesterol” because high levels can build up inside artery walls and raise the risk of heart attack and...
Low Total Cholesterol Test: Causes, Health Effects, and Meaning
A low total cholesterol test result means the combined amount of cholesterol carried in your major blood lipoproteins is below the range most laboratories...
Low Triglycerides Blood Test: Causes, Diet, Health Effects, and Meaning
Triglycerides are fats that travel in the blood and store energy for later use. Most people hear about triglycerides when the result is high,...
Low VLDL Cholesterol Test: Causes, Triglycerides, and Meaning
Low VLDL cholesterol usually means your triglycerides are low, because very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) is the main particle that carries triglycerides made by the liver....
Lp(a) and ApoB: Interpreting Inherited and Particle-Related Heart Risk
Lipoprotein(a), written as Lp(a), and apolipoprotein B, written as ApoB, look at cholesterol risk from two different angles. Lp(a) is mostly inherited and often...
LP-IR Score Test: Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance Score, Normal Range, Diabetes Risk, and Results
The LP-IR score is a blood test result that estimates insulin resistance from patterns in lipoprotein particles, not from glucose or insulin alone. It...
Lp-PLA2 Test: High Lp-PLA2, Vascular Inflammation, Stroke Risk, and Heart Risk
Lp-PLA2 is a blood marker linked to inflammation inside artery walls, especially inflammation tied to oxidized LDL particles and atherosclerotic plaque. Unlike broad inflammation...