Total cholesterol is assessed randomly, in a non-fasting state. This means that you can eat before having your total cholesterol tested. Total cholesterol is the only lipoprotein lipid value that will be taken into consideration in the Healthy Heart Score, except for when HDL is used in the calculation. Since the HHS is not a diagnostic tool, but used for mass screening with the aim of identifying and preventing health risk.
Total cholesterol is an indication of atherosclerosis, which is associated with an accumulation of cholesterol in the muscular walls of arteries and is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease in South Africa. This finding is substantiated by the WHO, which indicates that nearly half of the variance in cardiovascular disease rates is due to differences in blood cholesterol levels. In South Africa, 80% of ‘westernised’ South Africans have an elevated cholesterol level, while the levels of the remaining 20% place them at risk of developing high cholesterol. Within range total cholesterol: 4,11-5,19 mmol.l-1