[masraum]

Originally Posted by IROC

Is this a typo? These numbers don't seem to add up.

According to the Dr, there are other types of cholesterol besides HDL and LDL so the numbers don't necessarily add up to the total.

My cholesterol is around 240 or so (I forget the exact number, but it was tested last summer), but with the recently changed guidelines for cholesterol, my doctor does not recommend medication. Come to find out, the exact cholesterol number isn't very important - there are other risk factors (which I have none) that are more important in determining whether or not you need to be medicated.

My Dad had a massive heart attack a few years ago. His cholesterol number (tested not long before his attack) was 194. His arteries were clogged. I read once that 50% of all people admitted to the hospital for a heart attack have cholesterol number below 200.

My Dr doesn't actually look at just the numbers either. He also looks at inflamation (C-reactive protein), Cholesterol particle size, cholesterol particle count, and cholesterol oxidation. Since most Drs don't look at that stuff, and most folks concentrate on the total and HDL/LDL, I didn't think there was much point in posting the rest.