Cholesterol, High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Plasma or Serum

HDL - NOCO

1 mL Plasma Green top (Lithium Heparin)

0.5 mL
Note: For neonate requirements see Neonate Minimum Blood Volumes

1 mL serum from SST or Red Top

• Fasting-overnight (12-14 hour).
• Patient must not consume any alcohol for 24 hours before specimen is drawn.

Temperature	Time
Refrigerated	5 days

 

Gross hemolysis

Monday through Sunday; Continuously

Same day

SV
Low HDL:  <40 mg/dL
Normal HDL: 40 - 60 mg/dL
Desirable HDL: >60 mg/dL

MMC, BFCMC, & NCMC
MALE
0- 18 years: >45 mg/dL
18 - 150 years: >39

FEMALE
0 - 18 years: >45 mg/dL
18 - 150 years: >49 mg/dL

High density lipoproteins (HDL) are responsible for the reverse transport of cholesterol from the peripheral cells to the liver. In the liver, cholesterol is transformed to bile acids which are then excreted into the intestine via the biliary tract. Monitoring of HDL-cholesterol in serum or plasma is of clinical relevance as the HDL-cholesterol concentration is important in the assessment of atherosclerotic risk. Elevated HDL-cholesterol concentrations protect against coronary heart disease (CHD), whereas reduced HDL-cholesterol concentrations, particularly in conjunction with elevated triglycerides, increase cardiovascular risk. A variety of methods are available to determine HDL-cholesterol, including ultracentrifugation (reference method in combination with cholesterol measurement by the Abell-Kendall method), electrophoresis, HPLC, precipitation, and direct methods. Of these, the direct methods are used routinely. Roche HDLC4 is also a direct method. The automated HDLC4 assay uses detergents, cholesterol esterase (CHER), cholesterol oxidase (CHOD) and peroxidase to form a colored pigment that is measured optically. The HDLC4 assay meets the 1998 National Institutes of Health (NIH) / National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) goals for precision and accuracy.