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Cholesterol Ratio Calculator

Total cholesterol to HDL ratio, and LDL to HDL ratio if you have LDL.

For everyoneHeart & blood vesselsv1.0.0

Your measurements

Calculated on your device. Nothing is sent to a server.

Your result will appear here

Enter your measurements, then press Calculate.

Methodology

Lipid ratios

TC/HDL; LDL/HDL (units cancel)

Ratios combine 'bad' and 'good' cholesterol into one number. Some risk tools (for example QRISK) use the total cholesterol/HDL ratio.

Who it is for
Adults.
Version
1.0.0

How this calculator works

Where the formula comes from

  • QRISK3, developed in UK primary-care records to estimate 10-year cardiovascular risk, uses the total cholesterol/HDL ratio as one predictor among many.[1]

The inputs

  • Both ratios divide one cholesterol measurement by HDL cholesterol; with both values in the same units, the units cancel.[2]

Versions and alternatives

  • In one analysis, people with similar LDL/HDL ratios had similar coronary risk whether their LDL was high or low, and the total/HDL ratio performed similarly to the LDL/HDL ratio.[2]

Where accuracy falls (published evidence)

  • A ratio alone does not give a person's absolute 10-year cardiovascular risk, which depends on other factors such as age, sex, smoking and blood pressure.[1]

What guidelines say

  • The 2019 ESC/EAS dyslipidaemia guidelines set treatment goals for LDL cholesterol by risk category, with non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B as secondary goals, and do not set a cholesterol-ratio target.[3]
  • The 2018 AHA/ACC cholesterol guideline bases treatment decisions mainly on LDL cholesterol levels, percentage LDL reduction, clinical risk categories and thresholds for adding therapy; it does not set a cholesterol-ratio treatment target.[4]

Sources

  1. Hippisley-Cox J, Coupland C, Brindle P. Development and validation of QRISK3 risk prediction algorithms to estimate future risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2017;357:j2099. doi:10.1136/bmj.j2099
  2. Natarajan S, Glick H, Criqui M, et al. Cholesterol measures to identify and treat individuals at risk for coronary heart disease. Am J Prev Med. 2003;25(1):1–7. doi:10.1016/S0749-3797(03)00092-8
  3. Mach F, Baigent C, Catapano AL, et al. 2019 ESC/EAS Guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias. Eur Heart J. 2020;41(1):111–188. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz455
  4. Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol. Circulation. 2019;139(25):e1082–e1143. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625

Compiled from the published sources above. Every statement was agreed independently by three AI research tools (Claude, ChatGPT, DeepSeek) and its source verified in PubMed or Crossref by the Hakeemly editorial team. Not reviewed by a doctor unless stated. Agreed on

Worked example: how to calculate cholesterol ratios

Inputs

Total cholesterol
200 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol
50 mg/dL

Result

Total cholesterol ÷ HDL
4

Calculation:

200/50 = 4

An illustration with sample values, worked out with the same method the tool above uses.

Limitations

  • Ratios alone do not give cardiovascular risk; current guidelines set targets for LDL and non-HDL cholesterol.

References

  1. Hippisley-Cox J, Coupland C, Brindle P. Development and validation of QRISK3 risk prediction algorithms to estimate future risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2017;357:j2099. doi:10.1136/bmj.j2099
  2. Mach F, Baigent C, Catapano AL, et al. 2019 ESC/EAS Guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias. Eur Heart J. 2020;41(1):111–188. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz455

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