Clinical issues in cholesterol testing

Lipid investigators have begun to examine the biological sources of variation in serum cholesterol levels and to seek ways to accurately measure the total cholesterol (TC) level in the serum of a patient. A person's TC level varies primarily because of the effects from seasonal changes, behavioral changes, and illness. Results of studies of the effect of seasonal changes indicate that serum TC and obesity increase during winter and decrease during summer. Behavioral sources of variation include diet, alcohol intake, smoking, and exercise. Clinical sources of TC level variation include all illnesses. The physician can help control sources of variation by recognizing their causes, by advising of the effect that behavioral risk factors have on cholesterol levels, and by using the average of results for multiple specimens to estimate the true value of serum cholesterol in a patient.