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High LDL cholesterol level in the blood

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High LDL cholesterol level in the blood
Last update: 27/04/2020

What is high LDL cholesterol level in the blood called?

  • LDL hypercholesterolemia

What is the normal LDL cholesterol level in the blood?

If you need to know which are the LDL cholesterol reference ranges or you require more information about the role of LDL cholesterol in the blood, you can visit normal LDL cholesterol level in the blood

What does a high LDL cholesterol level in the blood mean?

A high LDL cholesterol level in the blood is a risk factor to develop a cardiovascular disease.

If there are other cardiovascular risk factors the higher is the probability to suffer a heart attack or a stroke. Other cardiovascular risk factors are diabetes, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, family history or if you have suffered a previous cardiovascular accident.

LDL Cholesterol values are usually given in mg/dl but sometimes you can see those values in mmol/l following the International System of Units (SI). In case your values are in mmol/l you can convert them using this tool:

mmol/l
  • Mild LDL hypercholesterolemia (100 - 129 mg/dl in adults):

    LDL cholesterol levels are a bit high. They can be considered as acceptable if there are no other cardiovascular risk factors.

    You should follow a healthy lifestyle:

    • Low-fat diet
    • Increase your intake of omega-3 products
    • Do regular exercise

    Take a new blood test in a few months and it is probable that the values return to normal range.

  • Moderate LDL hypercholesterolemia (130 - 159 mg/dl in adults):

    Moderate LDL hypercholesterolemia is a matter of concern if there is another cardiovascular risk factor present. Other cardiovascular risk factors are diabetes, aortic aneurysm, etc.

    You should follow a balanced diet, lose weight if you are overweight and do regular exercise. In case you cannot reduce your LDL cholesterol in a few months, you should visit your doctor to study your status.

  • Marked LDL hypercholesterolemia (160 - 189 mg/dl in adults):

    LDL cholesterol levels are very high and it is mandatory to change your diet and implement urgent measures to lower the LDL cholesterol. Otherwise, you have a high probability to suffer a heart attack or a stroke.

    You may start by following these tips:

    • Lose weight
    • Reduce your fat intake
    • Do exercise from 30 to 60 minutes everyday

    If there are other cardiovascular risk present, your doctor will decide if you must take cholesterol-lowering drugs.

  • Severe LDL hypercholesterolemia (< 190 mg/dl in adults):

    The risk of suffering a cardiovascular accident (heart attack, stroke) is very likely. You must visit your doctor as soon as possible.

    Your doctor, if he considers it appropriate, will prescribe you statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) to reduce your LDL cholesterol level. In addition, it is necessary to follow a healthy lifestyle with a balanced low-fat diet and doing regular exercise.

Which factors can raise the LDL cholesterol level in the blood?

There are some health circumstances or drugs than can raise your LDL cholesterol level in the blood:

Which diseases can raise your LDL cholesterol level in the blood?

There are many medical diseases why the LDL cholesterol level in the blood can be higher than normal:

What can I do to lower the LDL cholesterol level in the blood?

If your LDL cholesterol is a bit high, you can consider the following tips:

  • Reduce the intake of the following foods:
    • Pork and lamb
    • Cheese and butter
    • Egg yolks
    • Store bought pastries
  • Increase the intake of Omega-3 products like fish or olive oil
  • Give up smoking
  • Lose weight and regular exercise at least two days per week

Where can I find more information about LDL cholesterol level in the blood?

You can visit our pages about:

Which values are considered a high LDL cholesterol level in the blood?

The following values are considered to be above the normal range:

IMPORTANT: These levels are expressed in mg/dl. They are an example of a healthy man of about 45 years old with no known disease and not taking any medication. The ranges can be different depending on the laboratory or on your personal circumstances.

LDL Cholesterol
Mild LDL hypercholesterolemia
101 mg/dl102 mg/dl103 mg/dl104 mg/dl105 mg/dl106 mg/dl107 mg/dl108 mg/dl
109 mg/dl110 mg/dl111 mg/dl112 mg/dl113 mg/dl114 mg/dl115 mg/dl116 mg/dl
117 mg/dl118 mg/dl119 mg/dl120 mg/dl121 mg/dl122 mg/dl123 mg/dl124 mg/dl
125 mg/dl126 mg/dl127 mg/dl128 mg/dl129 mg/dl130 mg/dl  
Moderate LDL hypercholesterolemia
131 mg/dl132 mg/dl133 mg/dl134 mg/dl135 mg/dl136 mg/dl137 mg/dl138 mg/dl
139 mg/dl140 mg/dl141 mg/dl142 mg/dl143 mg/dl144 mg/dl145 mg/dl146 mg/dl
147 mg/dl148 mg/dl149 mg/dl150 mg/dl151 mg/dl152 mg/dl153 mg/dl154 mg/dl
155 mg/dl156 mg/dl157 mg/dl158 mg/dl159 mg/dl160 mg/dl  
Marked LDL hypercholesterolemia
161 mg/dl162 mg/dl163 mg/dl164 mg/dl165 mg/dl166 mg/dl167 mg/dl168 mg/dl
169 mg/dl170 mg/dl171 mg/dl172 mg/dl173 mg/dl174 mg/dl175 mg/dl176 mg/dl
177 mg/dl178 mg/dl179 mg/dl180 mg/dl181 mg/dl182 mg/dl183 mg/dl184 mg/dl
185 mg/dl186 mg/dl187 mg/dl188 mg/dl189 mg/dl190 mg/dl  
Severe LDL hypercholesterolemia
191 mg/dl192 mg/dl193 mg/dl194 mg/dl195 mg/dl196 mg/dl197 mg/dl198 mg/dl
199 mg/dl200 mg/dl201 mg/dl202 mg/dl203 mg/dl204 mg/dl205 mg/dl206 mg/dl
207 mg/dl208 mg/dl209 mg/dl210 mg/dl211 mg/dl212 mg/dl213 mg/dl214 mg/dl
215 mg/dl216 mg/dl217 mg/dl218 mg/dl219 mg/dl220 mg/dl221 mg/dl222 mg/dl
223 mg/dl224 mg/dl225 mg/dl226 mg/dl227 mg/dl228 mg/dl229 mg/dl230 mg/dl
231 mg/dl232 mg/dl233 mg/dl234 mg/dl235 mg/dl236 mg/dl237 mg/dl238 mg/dl
239 mg/dl240 mg/dl241 mg/dl242 mg/dl243 mg/dl244 mg/dl245 mg/dl246 mg/dl
247 mg/dl248 mg/dl249 mg/dl250 mg/dl251 mg/dl252 mg/dl253 mg/dl254 mg/dl
255 mg/dl256 mg/dl257 mg/dl258 mg/dl259 mg/dl260 mg/dl261 mg/dl262 mg/dl
263 mg/dl264 mg/dl265 mg/dl266 mg/dl267 mg/dl268 mg/dl269 mg/dl270 mg/dl
271 mg/dl272 mg/dl273 mg/dl274 mg/dl275 mg/dl276 mg/dl277 mg/dl278 mg/dl
279 mg/dl280 mg/dl281 mg/dl282 mg/dl283 mg/dl284 mg/dl285 mg/dl286 mg/dl
287 mg/dl288 mg/dl289 mg/dl290 mg/dl291 mg/dl292 mg/dl293 mg/dl294 mg/dl
295 mg/dl296 mg/dl297 mg/dl298 mg/dl299 mg/dl300 mg/dl301 mg/dl302 mg/dl
303 mg/dl304 mg/dl305 mg/dl306 mg/dl307 mg/dl308 mg/dl309 mg/dl310 mg/dl
311 mg/dl312 mg/dl313 mg/dl314 mg/dl315 mg/dl316 mg/dl317 mg/dl318 mg/dl
319 mg/dl320 mg/dl321 mg/dl322 mg/dl323 mg/dl324 mg/dl325 mg/dl326 mg/dl
327 mg/dl328 mg/dl329 mg/dl330 mg/dl331 mg/dl332 mg/dl333 mg/dl334 mg/dl
335 mg/dl336 mg/dl337 mg/dl338 mg/dl339 mg/dl340 mg/dl341 mg/dl342 mg/dl
343 mg/dl344 mg/dl345 mg/dl346 mg/dl347 mg/dl348 mg/dl349 mg/dl350 mg/dl
351 mg/dl352 mg/dl353 mg/dl354 mg/dl355 mg/dl356 mg/dl357 mg/dl358 mg/dl
359 mg/dl360 mg/dl361 mg/dl362 mg/dl363 mg/dl364 mg/dl365 mg/dl366 mg/dl
367 mg/dl368 mg/dl369 mg/dl370 mg/dl371 mg/dl372 mg/dl373 mg/dl374 mg/dl
375 mg/dl376 mg/dl377 mg/dl378 mg/dl379 mg/dl380 mg/dl381 mg/dl382 mg/dl
383 mg/dl384 mg/dl385 mg/dl386 mg/dl387 mg/dl388 mg/dl389 mg/dl390 mg/dl
391 mg/dl392 mg/dl393 mg/dl394 mg/dl395 mg/dl396 mg/dl397 mg/dl398 mg/dl
399 mg/dl400 mg/dl401 mg/dl402 mg/dl403 mg/dl404 mg/dl405 mg/dl406 mg/dl
407 mg/dl408 mg/dl409 mg/dl410 mg/dl411 mg/dl412 mg/dl413 mg/dl414 mg/dl
415 mg/dl416 mg/dl417 mg/dl418 mg/dl419 mg/dl420 mg/dl421 mg/dl422 mg/dl
423 mg/dl424 mg/dl425 mg/dl426 mg/dl427 mg/dl428 mg/dl429 mg/dl430 mg/dl
431 mg/dl432 mg/dl433 mg/dl434 mg/dl435 mg/dl436 mg/dl437 mg/dl438 mg/dl
439 mg/dl440 mg/dl441 mg/dl442 mg/dl443 mg/dl444 mg/dl445 mg/dl446 mg/dl
447 mg/dl448 mg/dl449 mg/dl450 mg/dl451 mg/dl452 mg/dl453 mg/dl454 mg/dl
455 mg/dl456 mg/dl457 mg/dl458 mg/dl459 mg/dl460 mg/dl461 mg/dl462 mg/dl
463 mg/dl464 mg/dl465 mg/dl466 mg/dl467 mg/dl468 mg/dl469 mg/dl470 mg/dl
471 mg/dl472 mg/dl473 mg/dl474 mg/dl475 mg/dl476 mg/dl477 mg/dl478 mg/dl
479 mg/dl480 mg/dl481 mg/dl482 mg/dl483 mg/dl484 mg/dl485 mg/dl486 mg/dl
487 mg/dl488 mg/dl489 mg/dl490 mg/dl491 mg/dl492 mg/dl493 mg/dl494 mg/dl
495 mg/dl496 mg/dl497 mg/dl498 mg/dl499 mg/dl500 mg/dl501 mg/dl502 mg/dl
503 mg/dl504 mg/dl505 mg/dl506 mg/dl507 mg/dl508 mg/dl509 mg/dl510 mg/dl
511 mg/dl512 mg/dl513 mg/dl514 mg/dl515 mg/dl516 mg/dl517 mg/dl518 mg/dl
519 mg/dl520 mg/dl521 mg/dl522 mg/dl523 mg/dl524 mg/dl525 mg/dl526 mg/dl
527 mg/dl528 mg/dl529 mg/dl530 mg/dl531 mg/dl532 mg/dl533 mg/dl534 mg/dl
535 mg/dl536 mg/dl537 mg/dl538 mg/dl539 mg/dl540 mg/dl541 mg/dl542 mg/dl
543 mg/dl544 mg/dl545 mg/dl546 mg/dl547 mg/dl548 mg/dl549 mg/dl550 mg/dl
551 mg/dl552 mg/dl553 mg/dl554 mg/dl555 mg/dl556 mg/dl557 mg/dl558 mg/dl
559 mg/dl560 mg/dl561 mg/dl562 mg/dl563 mg/dl564 mg/dl565 mg/dl566 mg/dl
567 mg/dl568 mg/dl569 mg/dl570 mg/dl571 mg/dl572 mg/dl573 mg/dl574 mg/dl
575 mg/dl576 mg/dl577 mg/dl578 mg/dl579 mg/dl580 mg/dl581 mg/dl582 mg/dl
583 mg/dl584 mg/dl585 mg/dl586 mg/dl587 mg/dl588 mg/dl589 mg/dl590 mg/dl
591 mg/dl592 mg/dl593 mg/dl594 mg/dl595 mg/dl596 mg/dl597 mg/dl598 mg/dl
599 mg/dl600 mg/dl      
Medically reviewed by Javier Muga Bustamante Ph.D. on 27/04/2020

Bibliography

  • Concise Book of Medical Laboratory Technology: Methods and Interpretations. 2nd Edition. 2015. Ramnik Sood. ISBN: 978-93-5152-333-8. Pag. 487.
  • Tietz. Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry. Carl A. Burtis, Edward R. Ashwood, David E. Bruns, Barbara G. Sawyer. WB Saunders Company, 2008. Pag 402. ISBN: 978-0-7216-3865-2.

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