Small Dense LDL (sdLDL)

Overview:

LDL particles vary in size. Smaller, denser ones penetrate artery walls more readily, stay in circulation longer and are more prone to oxidation, so they carry more risk than larger particles carrying the same amount of cholesterol. A pattern dominated by small dense LDL is common in people with high triglycerides, low HDL, insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, and in those people a standard LDL cholesterol can understate cardiovascular risk. This test measures the cholesterol carried specifically by that subfraction. It is used to add detail where standard lipids and overall risk assessment do not align.

Categories:

Heart, Metabolic

Biomarkers:

1 biomarker