Cholesterol, Plasma

Diagnostic Use

Cholesterol is a lipid that is vital for life. It is produced by all cells in the body and is important for the maintenance of cell membrane integrity. Cholesterol is also a precursor to all steroid hormones and bile acids synthesised by the body.

Total cholesterol is part of the lipid profile which is requested to assess a patient's cardiovascular risk.

Department

Core Biochemistry

Delphic Registration Code

LIPS

Synonyms

Lipids - Cholesterol

Turnaround Time

3 hours

Test Code

4150

Specimen Type

• Serum
• Plasma

Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred

• Lithium Heparin - Non-gel (Green Cap)

Preferred if West Coast

• Lithium Heparin - Gel (Light Green Cap)

Acceptable

• Serum (Red Cap)
• SST II (Gold Cap)
• Lithium Heparin - Gel (Light Green Cap)

Preferred Sample Volume (ml)

4.5

No of Samples Required

1

Paediatric Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred

• Lithium Heparin - Non-gel (Green Cap)

Preferred Sample Volume (ml)

0.6

Additional Specimen Information

Paediatric Specimen: Heparin microtainer tube 600 µL

Aliquot Instructions

Sample Type

• Serum
• Plasma

Minimum Volume (ml)

0.1

Interpretation

Total cholesterol is a measure of all the cholesterol in the sample.  This can further be broken down into its main constituents, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol, and reported as part of the lipid profile.

Patients with dyslipidaemia (particularly those with elevated LDL cholesterol) are at an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).  Total cholesterol is used to calculate the cholesterol/HDL ratio which is included in some cardiovascular risk algorithms to generate a 5-year or 10-year cardiovascular risk for an individual patient.  This risk score is then used to make management decisions.

Reference Intervals

Total cholesterol results should not be interpreted against a reference interval. Total cholesterol results should be used to assess overall cardiovascular risk, as discussed above.

Test Method

Enzymatic assay performed on Beckman Coulter AU5822 analyser using Beckman Coulter reagents.

Non-Funded Test Cost

$3.49 (Exclusive of GST)

Billing Code

4150

Contact Information

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