This article goes over what can cause cholesterol test results to be inaccurate.
What Cholesterol Tests Measure
A standard cholesterol test is also called a blood lipid test.
Ask your healthcare provider if a non-fasting cholesterol test might be an option for you.
Andrew Brookes / Getty Images
Reasons For Inaccurate Cholesterol Test Results
Cholesterol tests are helpful, but they are not perfect.
And sometimes, results are simply wrong.
Here are a few reasons why that can occur.
Human Error
It’s not common, but errors and reporting mistakes do happen.
Mix-Ups
Medical professionals take steps to prevent patient sample mixups, but they can happen.
Your sample could even have gotten confused with someone else’s.
If not, a lab error is likely to blame.
Your cholesterol could be temporarily elevated due to a modifiable factor like exercise.
Or it may now be chronically elevated due to something like a health condition.
Don’t assume that surprising cholesterol results are inaccurate.
Share your full medical history with your healthcare provider so they can consider the following possibilities, too.
Certain Medications
You might be taking medications that can affect your cholesterol levels.
For example, corticosteroids and HIV medications can raise lipid levels.
While cholesterol is a contributor to your cardiovascular disease risk, it’s not the only one.
Factors like your diet and family history matter, too.
A cholesterol test should not be considered reliable until about four months postpartum.
Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and psoriasis may affect cholesterol scores.
The levels tend to get better and even go back to normal if a person gains weight.
Studies have shown that an intense workout 12 to 24 hours before your test might actually raise your cholesterol.
If you think your cholesterol results are not accurate, talk to your healthcare provider.
Don’t hesitate to ask for a repeat test.
Summary
Cholesterol tests can be an important marker of your health, but they arent perfect.
If you think your cholesterol test results seem wrong, talk to your provider.
They might want to do the test again to re-check and double-check that the numbers are accurate.
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