How is a lipid panel used?
The lipid panel is used to help determine your risk of heart disease and to help guide you and your health care provider in deciding what treatment may be best for you if you have borderline or high risk. The results of the lipid panel are considered along with other known risk factors of heart disease to develop a plan of treatment and follow-up. Depending on your results and other risk factors, treatment options may involve life-style changes such as diet and exercise (first choice) or lipid-lowering medications such as statins (if lifestyle modification fails) or other factors are considered. When is it ordered? It is recommended that healthy adults with no other risk factors for heart disease be tested with a fasting lipid panel once every five years. You may be screened using only a cholesterol test and not a full lipid panel. However, if the cholesterol test result is high, you may have follow-up testing with a lipid panel. If you have other risk factors or have had a high choles
