How To Use Home Cholesterol Testers

Although cholesterol has a huge contribution in maintaining cell structure and managing hormonal balance, too much accumulation of it can pose a serious threat to your health. Excess accumulation of cholesterol leads to thickening of arteries and cardiovascular diseases. However, if you use home cholesterol testers, they can help you effective monitor the cholesterol levels in your body.

Varieties And Functions

Cholesterol tester kits generally fall in two broad categories. One is disposable cholesterol testers and the other one is cholesterol monitors. Disposable cholesterol testers help you to determine your existing cholesterol level. While using disposable cholesterol testers, you first need to take out a very small amount of blood sample from one finger. Then you have to place the blood sample over the test strip and set it into the diagnostic module. The diagnosis is made by color. If the color is red, it means your cholesterol level is high, while the color green implies normal.

Although disposable cholesterol testers can offer you a basic overview about your cholesterol levels, it is not too precise. However, it is a great help to guide you whether you should take the process further. It you have red color strip after conducting the test, you should not delay meeting your doctor and arranging a laboratory blood test.

Once you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you may be asked to use a cholesterol monitor. Similar to the disposable cholesterol testers, monitors also function by obtaining a blood sample and placing it over test strip. Cholesterol monitors are supposed to offer you a precise count for cholesterol levels like a blood test.

Comparative Advantages

In a majority of the cases, cholesterol monitors are manufactured in such a fashion that it is able to provide total cholesterol level. This implies that cholesterol monitor counts by aggregating low-density cholesterol (LDL) and high-density cholesterol (HDL). Both disposable cholesterol testers and cholesterol monitors help to determine whether your cholesterol level is normal or too high, but the advantages of these two kits may vary to some extent.

So, it is good to use disposable ones if you have not ever diagnosed with high cholesterol and you are suspecting there might be a chance. On the other hand, you must consider using cholesterol monitor once you have diagnosed with high blood cholesterol for a better monitoring of the cholesterol count in real-time. It will certainly help you to take immediate action if needed.