Cholesterol Risk Calculator
Categorize your total and HDL cholesterol levels and see your total/HDL ratio.
Assumptions used in this calculation
- Categorization only, not a full risk score: This tool categorizes total and HDL cholesterol and computes their ratio, it does not calculate a full 10-year cardiovascular risk score.NIH ATP III (Adult Treatment Panel III) cholesterol guidelines
About this calculator
A lipid panel result lists total cholesterol and HDL as raw numbers in mg/dL, but knowing whether those numbers are desirable, borderline, or high requires checking them against NIH ATP III guideline thresholds, and calculating the total/HDL ratio, a simple division most people never bother doing themselves. This calculator takes your total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol readings and categorizes each against ATP III thresholds, then computes the total/HDL ratio (total cholesterol divided by HDL), a widely cited indicator where lower ratios generally reflect better cardiovascular risk profile than either number viewed alone. Total cholesterol on its own can be misleading, a high total driven mostly by protective HDL reads very differently from the same total driven by LDL, which is exactly what the ratio helps surface. This tool only categorizes cholesterol numbers and computes their ratio; a full 10-year cardiovascular risk score also needs blood pressure, smoking status, age, and other factors, so it's not a complete risk assessment or medical advice.
Worked example
Total cholesterol 180 mg/dL, HDL 50 mg/dL
Result: Desirable total, Average HDL, ratio 3.6 (Average)
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