Library/Heart/LDL cholesterol/250

LDL cholesterol of 250 mg/dLWhat it means, and what usually happens next

250mg/dL LDL cholesterol
Very high
70100130160190

An LDL cholesterol of 250 mg/dL is 190 mg/dL or higher, which the ACC/AHA guideline treats as a reason for a statin whatever your other risk.

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LDL cholesterol250mg/dL
In mmol/L6.46
The usual rangeunder 100 mg/dL is called optimal

What usually happens next

A level this high raises the question of familial hypercholesterolaemia, an inherited cause that runs in families, so close relatives may be tested too.

Book a visit with your doctor; it's not an emergency, but it's not a wait-and-see either.

When an LDL cholesterol can read wrong

Many labs calculate LDL rather than measure it, and the older Friedewald formula reads too low when triglycerides are high (over about 150, and it isn't used over 400). A recent illness, big weight loss or pregnancy also moves it. ApoB isn't fooled by triglycerides.

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Questions

Is an LDL cholesterol of 250 mg/dL normal?

An LDL cholesterol of 250 mg/dL is 190 mg/dL or higher, which the ACC/AHA guideline treats as a reason for a statin whatever your other risk. The usual range is under 100 mg/dL is called optimal.

What is 250 mg/dL in mmol/L?

6.46 mmol/L. Labs in different countries print LDL cholesterol in different units; the meaning is the same.

Is an LDL of 250 mg/dL high?

Under 100 mg/dL is optimal, 100 to 129 near optimal, 130 to 159 borderline high, 160 to 189 high and 190 or more very high. What it means for you depends on your overall heart risk.

Do I need a statin with an LDL of 250 mg/dL?

At 190 mg/dL or more the ACC/AHA guideline recommends one regardless of other risk. Below that, it depends on your 10-year risk, diabetes and other factors, a decision made with your doctor.

Worked out by LifeFrom from the NCEP categories and the 2018 AHA/ACC guideline, and not yet reviewed by a clinician. For your own understanding: only a lab test, read by your clinician, diagnoses anything.