Cholesterol Test Kit
Order home cholesterol tests online
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While your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, high levels of bad cholesterol can increase your risk of narrowing of your arteries heart disease, and stroke.
If you think you're at risk of high cholesterol or you want to check your cholesterol levels, you can buy one of our home cholesterol test kits online.
About home cholesterol testing
How to order a cholesterol test kit online in the UK
- Fill out a short online assessment form
- Place an order for a cholesterol test kit
- It can then be posted to your preferred address or you can collect it from a local post office instead
How to use the test kit
Within 1 to 2 days of placing your order, you’ll receive your easy to use cholesterol test kit with clear instructions.
You will need to provide a small blood sample. You can do this by taking the following steps:
- First wash your hands with warm water and dry them
- Use the included alcotip swab to clean the fingertip you would like to use. You should use the third or fourth finger of your non-dominant hand (the one you don’t write with)
- Twist and remove the purple stick from one lancet, put it on your fingertip and press the purple button at the end
- You should notice a small drop of blood forming on your fingertip, as your skin has been punctured. Use a clean tissue to wipe the first drop away, hold your hand downwards and massage the side of your finger to form another drop of blood
- Use your other hand to gently squeeze the finger you’re using and catch the drops in the collection tube. You should fill the small tube to the upper line. If you are unable to fill it, please use an additional lancet on another finger to complete the sample
- Once your sample is complete, you can use the plaster supplied to stop the bleeding. Put the screw lid on the collection tube, inverting it several times until it is closed securely
- Please make sure you put your details on the sticky label and fix it on the tube firmly as the lab won’t be able to analyse your sample otherwise
- Put your labelled sample tube inside the protective wallet and put the wallet into the the prepaid envelope, along with your used lancets. You can use any UK post box to send your test kit back to our partner lab
How the results work
Our partner lab will process your sample 1-2 days after they receive it, so you should get your results quickly, ready to view in your account.
Your test results will show if you have high or low levels of both good (HDL) and bad (LDL) types of cholesterol.
But, you should always visit your doctor for medical advice about managing your cholesterol levels.
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The cholesterol test kit measures two types of cholesterol: LDL and HDL. Both types are carried in your blood, so it’s best to check cholesterol levels from blood samples.
The results from the cholesterol test kit will show if the LDL and HDL levels in your blood are high or low.
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No. You do not need to fast before taking your blood sample for the home cholesterol test kit. The home cholesterol test kit isn’t designed to check for fast cholesterol levels. This is usually done in person, at your GP surgery.
If you’re getting your cholesterol levels checked at the GP, your doctor may request you fast (avoid food and drink except for water) for 12 hours before you attend the surgery for your blood test.
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High cholesterol levels in your blood can cause plaques (fat deposits) to form in your blood vessels and narrow them. This can cause symptoms like chest pain, and pain in your legs while walking, because you blood vessels get narrower.
In general, your risk for having high cholesterol may increase if you:
- are over 40 years old
- have had a stroke or a mini-stroke (TIA)
- have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
- have a family history of heart attacks or other types of cardiovascular diseases
- have a close family member with high cholesterol
- are overweight or obese
- have diabetes or high blood pressure
- have a medical condition like kidney disease, pancreatitis, or an underactive thyroid
You should consider using a home cholesterol test kit if you’re being treated for high cholesterol right now and want to check if the treatment is working.
You can also use the test kit to monitor your cholesterol levels at home if you’re at risk of having high cholesterol.
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The NHS recommends that your cholesterol level reading should be:
- LDL: below 3 mmol/L for healthy adults (below 2 if you are high risk of heart disease)
- HDL: above 1 mmol/L
If your cholesterol levels are high, we’d recommend discussing these with your GP who will use this reading (or may choose to do more tests) and other lifestyle factors, to determine whether you’re at high, moderate, or low risk of heart disease or stroke.
You may be given cholesterol lowering medication such as ‘statins’ and your GP will also recommend you make lifestyle changes in habits like diet, drinking, quitting smoking, and exercise.
Dr Clair Grainger studied at The University of Edinburgh from 2004 to 2009. She's worked in hospitals throughout Edinburgh and London before completing her GP training in North Middlesex Hospital in 2017.
Meet our doctorsLast reviewed: 31 Oct 2019
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Mayo Clinic (2019). High cholesterol. [online] Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/symptoms-causes/syc-20350800 [accessed 13th February 2019].
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National Health Service (2019). High cholesterol. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/ [accessed 13th February 2019].
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Patient.info (2019). High cholesterol. [online] Available at: https://patient.info/heart-health/high-cholesterol [accessed 13th February 2019].
