Home kit
Lipoprotein(a) Test
Lipoprotein(a), an inherited cholesterol particle that a standard cholesterol test never shows.
- Doctor-reviewed results
- Laboratory analysis
- 1 to 2 working days from lab receipt
- No fasting required
What’s included
1 marker measured
Lipoprotein(a)
A largely inherited cholesterol particle that adds to heart and artery risk independently of your other cholesterol numbers. Because it is set mostly by your genes, it is usually checked once rather than repeatedly.
Overview
Around one adult in five carries a raised lipoprotein(a), and a standard cholesterol test never shows it. It is inherited, barely changes through life and is measured once. Knowing it matters most if heart attacks or strokes have happened early in your family, or if your cholesterol looks reasonable but the family history does not.
Lp(a) is set largely by the genes you were born with and barely moves through life. Statins do not lower it, and there is little evidence that diet or exercise changes it much. Knowing it is still useful: about one adult in five carries a raised level, and knowing it changes how firmly the risk factors that can be changed are treated. Because it hardly moves, most people measure it once. It is a useful test if heart attacks or strokes have happened early in your family.
Who this is for and who it isn’t
Who it’s for
- Adults aged 18 and over
- Anyone with a heart attack or stroke in the family before 60
- People whose cholesterol looks fine against a worrying family history
Who it isn’t for
- This is not a general cholesterol test and it does not replace one. If you have never had LDL, HDL and non-HDL measured, start there. Statins do not lower Lp(a), and there is little evidence that diet or exercise changes it much, so a raised result does not come with a change you can make to the number itself.
- What it changes is how firmly everything else is treated, and that is a conversation with your GP.
- Anyone with a new, severe or worsening symptom: contact your GP or call NHS 111. A test you buy today is not a substitute for being examined.
Common reasons people choose this test
- A parent, brother or sister who had a heart attack or stroke before 60
- A cholesterol result that looks fine against a worrying family history
- Already diagnosed with high cholesterol and wanting the full picture
- Planning to discuss heart risk with a GP and wanting the missing number
- Of South Asian or Black African heritage, where raised levels are more common
These are reasons people choose to test, not signs that something is wrong. A result is one part of a picture your doctor puts together with your history and an examination.
What your result looks like
Every result is shown with the unit and the reference range exactly as the laboratory reported it, with the doctor’s note underneath.
- Lipoprotein(a)▲ High
- Result
- 120 nmol/L
- Range
- <75
| Marker | Result | Units | Range | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lipoprotein(a) | 120 | nmol/L | <75 | ▲ High |
Doctor’s note (example)
Lipoprotein(a) is raised. It is inherited, barely changes through life and is measured once; it adds to your risk, so the other cholesterol numbers are treated more firmly.
Values above are examples. Your report shows your own results with the laboratory’s units and reference range for your age and sex, reviewed, signed and released by a GMC-registered doctor.
How it works
- Your kit arrivesPosted to your door, with instructions and what you need to send your sample back.
- You take your sampleFinger-prick sample at home, or a clinic blood draw, your choice
- The laboratory analyses itYour sample is processed for the measurements included in this test. Lab processing typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receipt of your sample.
- A doctor reviews and releases itA GMC-registered doctor reads every result and signs the report before it reaches you.
- Sample
- Home finger-prick kit
- Preparation
- No fasting required
- Who it's for
- Any sex · ages 18+
How to prepare
What we can and can’t tell you
The reference range beside each result is the laboratory’s own. A result in range is not a clean bill of health and a result outside it is not a diagnosis. Most ranges cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one range. No test result replaces an examination or your own doctor’s judgement, and none of these panels is a cancer screening programme.
Read the full note
The reference range printed beside each of your results is the laboratory's own, and it is the range that applies to your result. We do not apply a second range of our own, and we do not tell you that a result the laboratory reported as normal is nonetheless too low or too high. If you see a claim elsewhere that your result ought to sit inside a narrower band than the one the laboratory printed, treat it with caution and ask your doctor.
Some assays cannot give an exact figure above or below a certain point, and those results are reported the way the laboratory sends them, for example as a value greater than a stated number. A result in range is not a clean bill of health, and a result outside a range is not a diagnosis: most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so some healthy people fall just outside them. No blood test replaces an examination, a scan or your own doctor's judgement, and none of these panels is a screening programme for cancer.
If you have a symptom that is new, severe, or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than waiting for a test result. In an emergency call 999.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I test it?
Once is usually enough for life. It is set genetically and moves very little. European guidance suggests measuring it once in every adult, and UK guidance recommends it especially for people with a personal or family history of early heart disease.
Do I need to fast?
No. Lp(a) is not affected by food, so any time of day is fine.
What can I do if it is raised?
There is little you can do to change Lp(a) itself. What it does is raise the value of everything else: cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking, weight and activity all matter more. The doctor's note explains what a raised level means for your overall risk and what a GP would usually look at.
Why are there two different units?
Laboratories report Lp(a) either as a particle count in nmol/L or as a mass in mg/dL, and the two do not convert reliably. Your report prints the unit and range the laboratory used, so compare like with like if you have an older result.
How long do results take?
The laboratory typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receiving your sample. This does not include kit delivery, sample collection or return postage. A doctor reviews your results before they are released.
Can I choose a home kit or a clinic?
Both, it is your choice at checkout. Either collect a finger-prick sample at home with the posted kit and send it back as the instructions explain, or book a clinic appointment and have a trained clinician take the sample for you.
Is a doctor involved?
Yes. Every result is reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor who signs it off and explains what it means and what to do next.
Is it confidential?
Your results are available through your secure patient portal. Our privacy policy explains how your information is handled and when it may be shared to provide your care.
What happens to my sample and results?
Your sample is analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189). A GMC-registered doctor then reads every result and signs the report before it is released, so nothing reaches you unreviewed. There is no option to receive results without a doctor reading them first. The report arrives in your secure portal in plain English: each result with its unit and the laboratory's own reference range, and the doctor's note on what the set means read together. If a result sits outside its range the report says so and explains what usually happens next, which is most often a conversation with your own GP, who can act on it alongside your history and examination. Most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one of them. On a report with many results it is common for one to sit just outside its range, and a single number on its own rarely tells the whole story. If a result needs urgent attention, the reviewing doctor is alerted straight away and we contact you by phone the same working day rather than leaving it in the portal for you to find. If a specific result needs rechecking, the reviewing doctor says so in your report.
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