Next time you get your blood pressure taken or lab work done, write the results down. This page will help you keep a record of the readings, and help you see where you stand compared to normal values. You can print it out by scrolling to the bottom of the page, clicking on "Printable version", and then clicking on the "print" icon in your browser's toolbar at the very top of the screen.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). A blood pressure reading is written like this: 120/80 mm Hg, where 120 is the systolic, and 80 is the diastolic blood pressure.

Your blood pressure is ......................... measured on .........................

Blood pressures are categorized as normal, prehypertension, hypertension stage 1, or hypertension stage 2. The categories are defined in this table:

Category	Systolic BP (mm Hg)		Diastolic BP (mm Hg)
Normal	below 120	and	below 80
Prehypertension	120 - 139	or	80 - 89
Hypertension Stage 1	140 -159	or	90 - 99
Hypertension Stage 2	160 and above	or	100 and above

Get more information in Disease Digest: High Blood Pressure or the US NHLBI's High Blood Pressure at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/hbp/intro.htm.

Blood Glucose

The most important blood glucose test is the fasting glucose level. This is best obtained from a sample taken in the morning before you have had anything other than water by mouth. Results are reported in mg/dL (milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood) or mmol/L (millimoles of glucose per liter of blood), depending on where you live.

Your fasting blood glucose is . . . . . . . . .mg/dL OR. . . . . . . . . . .mmol/L measured on . . . . . . . . . .

To convert mg/dL of blood glucose to mmol/L, multiply by 0.05551, or to convert mmol/dL of blood glucose to mg/dL, divide by 0.05551 (use a calculator!)

Fasting blood glucose levels are considered normal up to 110 mg/dL (or 6.1 mmol/L). Levels between 110 and 125 mg/dL (6.1 to 6.9 mmol/L) are referred to as 'impaired fasting glucose'; they are considered risk factors for type 2 diabetes and its complications. Diabetes is diagnosed when fasting glucose levels are 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or above on two different days.

Get more information in Disease Digest: Diabetes: Type 2

Blood Lipids

Four types of blood lipid are usually reported: total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, and triglycerides. As with blood sugar, results are reported in mg/dL (milligrams of the lipid per deciliter of blood) or mmol/L (millimoles of lipid per liter of blood), depending on where you live. In addition, the ratio between the total and the HDL cholesterol is often calculated.

It's difficult to give 'normal' values. However, there are goals, or target levels, that are widely accepted. Here are the values for mg/dL targets:

* Below 100 mg/dL is the goal for people with heart disease, diabetes, or multiple cardiac risk factors, below 130 mg/dL is the goal for people with two or more risk factors, and below 160 mg/dL is the goal for people with no, or only one, risk factor.

mg/dL	Desirable	Borderline	Abnormal	Your Level
Total Cholesterol	below 200	200 - 240	over 240
LDL Cholesterol	below 100	it depends*	over 160
HDL Cholesterol	over 60	40 - 60	under 40
Triglycerides	below 150	150 - 200	over 200
Total/HDL Ratio	Below 3.5	3.5 - 5	over 5

Here are the values for mmol/L targets:

* Below 2.6 mmol/L is the goal for people with heart disease, diabetes, or multiple cardiac risk factors, below 3.4 mmol/L is the goal for people with two or more risk factors, and below 4.1 mmol/L is the goal for people with no, or only one, risk factor.

mmol/L	Desirable	Borderline	Abnormal	Your Level
Total Cholesterol	below 5.2	5.2 - 6.2	over 6.2
LDL Cholesterol	below 2.6	it depends*	over 4.1
HDL Cholesterol	over 1.6	1.0 - 1.6	under 1.0
Triglycerides	below 1.7	1.7 - 2.3	over 2.3
Total/HDL Ratio	below 3.5	3.5 - 5	over 5

Get more information in Disease Digest: Cholesterol, Other Lipids, and Lipoproteins.