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Total Cholesterol
Panel: Cholesterol & Lipids · All cholesterol & lipids tests
Typical adult reference range
| Conventional units | Desirable <200 mg/dL |
| SI units | Desirable <5.17 mmol/L |
Ranges vary between laboratories and methods — compare your result with the range printed on your own report.
What a high or low result can mean
High total cholesterol: high values can be seen in familial lipid disorders, hypothyroidism, and kidney or liver disease.
Low total cholesterol: low values may occur with malnutrition, hyperthyroidism, or advanced liver disease.
These are associations, not a diagnosis: the same result can have several causes, and your clinician interprets it with the rest of your results and history.
Good to know
Values shown are commonly used category thresholds, not a reference range.
Related tests — Cholesterol & Lipids
Please note: Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and between the methods and instruments they use — the range printed on your own report is the one your result should be compared with. A result outside the range is not by itself a diagnosis, and a result inside it does not rule out illness. These pages are an educational summary, not medical advice: always discuss your results with the clinician who ordered them, who can interpret them in the context of your health and history.