Reference Range
The optimal cholesterol concentration for men and women is <4.0 mmol/L (Joint British Societies Guidelines). The National Service Frameworks for coronary disease recommend a reduction to <5.0 mmol/L for those who are treated for secondary prevention or primary prevention where their risk for cardiovascular disease is >20% over a 10 year period. It is often recommended that diagnosis and treatment should not be based on individual measurements because of the relatively high biological variation. Age, sex, pregnancy etc may affect results and appropriate ranges are reported.
