HDL laboratory test
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High Density Lipoprotein Microchapters |
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HDL laboratory test On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of HDL laboratory test |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Rim Halaby, M.D. [2]
Overview
HDL Measures
HDL Measurement Modalities
Chemical Measurements
Chemical measurements can be used to estimate HDL concentrations present in a blood sample, though such measurements may not indicate how well the HDL particles are functioning to reverse transport cholesterol from tissues. HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) is measured by first removing LDL particles by aggregation or precipitation with divalent ions (such as Mg++) and then coupling the products of a cholesterol oxidase reaction to an indicator reaction. The measurement of apo-A reactive capacity can be used to measure HDL cholesterol but is thought to be less accurate.
Electrophoresis Measurements
Since the HDL particles have a net negative charge and vary by size, electrophoresis measurements have been utilized since the 1960s to both indicate the number of HDL particles and additionally sort them by size. Larger HDL particles are carrying more cholesterol.
NMR Measurements
The newest methodology for measuring HDL particles, available clinically since the late 1990s uses nuclear magnetic resonance fingerprinting of the particles to measure both concentration and sizes. This methodology was pioneered by researcher Jim Otvos and the North Carolina State University academic research spinoff company and dramatically reduced the cost of HDL measurements.