Triglycerides Calculator

Triglycerides Calculator — evidence-based tool to check your triglycerides. Includes formula, tips, and interpretation guide.

A clinical lab calculator interprets common blood test results against published reference ranges, giving you an instant risk classification alongside the raw number. This tool covers the four most clinically important panels: lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides), blood glucose and HbA1c for diabetes screening, kidney function markers (eGFR staging and creatinine clearance), and blood pressure with mean arterial pressure. Each result is classified using the latest NICE, ADA, KDIGO, and AHA guidelines so you can understand where your values sit before — or between — GP appointments. BMI Calculator and Daily Calories Calculator provide related health metrics.

Lab values alone do not diagnose disease. Context matters enormously: a single elevated result may reflect dehydration, recent exercise, or measurement error rather than a chronic condition. Trends across multiple readings, combined with symptoms and examination findings, are what clinicians use to reach a diagnosis. Use this tool to understand your numbers and prepare better questions for your next clinical appointment.

Select the tab matching your lab results: Lipid Panel, Blood Glucose, Kidney Function, or Blood Pressure.
Enter the values exactly as shown on your lab report — check that units match the field labels (the tool uses mmol/L for lipids and glucose, mg/dL for creatinine, and mmHg for blood pressure).
For Kidney Function, enter your age, weight, and sex to calculate creatinine clearance using the Cockroft-Gault equation, and enter your reported eGFR for KDIGO staging.
Read the risk classification beside each result. Colour coding indicates optimal (green), borderline (amber), or elevated risk (red) based on clinical guideline thresholds.
Use the result card for a plain-language summary of what the classification means and whether to seek clinical review.

Clinical lab reference range formulas

Non-HDL cholesterol = Total cholesterol − HDL. This is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than LDL alone because it captures all atherogenic particles. Target: <4.0 mmol/L.

TC:HDL ratio = Total cholesterol ÷ HDL. A ratio <5 is generally considered acceptable; <3.5 is optimal.

ADA 2023 diabetes classification: Normal = fasting glucose <5.6 mmol/L AND HbA1c <5.7%. Prediabetes = fasting 5.6–6.9 mmol/L OR HbA1c 5.7–6.4%. Diabetes = fasting ≥7.0 mmol/L OR HbA1c ≥6.5% (requires confirmation on a second occasion).

Cockroft-Gault CrCl = ((140 − age) × weight) ÷ (72 × serum creatinine) × [0.85 if female]. Result in mL/min. Used to adjust drug doses in renal impairment.

MAP = DBP + (SBP − DBP) ÷ 3. Mean arterial pressure represents average perfusion pressure. Normal: 70–100 mmHg. Below 65 mmHg indicates inadequate organ perfusion.

Understanding your lab result classifications

NICE lipid modification thresholds (2023)

Total cholesterol: <5.0 mmol/L optimal; 5.0–6.4 borderline high; 6.5–7.9 high; ≥8.0 very high. LDL: <3.0 mmol/L optimal; <2.0 mmol/L target for those with established cardiovascular disease (NICE 2023). HDL <1.0 mmol/L (men) or <1.2 mmol/L (women) is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Triglycerides ≥5.7 mmol/L indicates hypertriglyceridaemia requiring specialist assessment.

KDIGO CKD staging by eGFR: G1 ≥90 (normal kidney function, possible other markers of kidney damage), G2 60–89 (mildly reduced), G3a 45–59 (mild to moderate), G3b 30–44 (moderate to severe), G4 15–29 (severely reduced), G5 <15 mL/min/1.73 m² (kidney failure requiring preparation for renal replacement therapy).

Health tips and best practices

Cholesterol results are highly sensitive to recent food, alcohol, and exercise — always fast for 9–12 hours before a lipid profile test unless your clinician advises otherwise.
HbA1c reflects average blood glucose over the preceding 2–3 months and is not affected by recent meals, making it a more reliable chronic marker than a single fasting glucose reading.
eGFR equations (CKD-EPI, MDRD, Cockroft-Gault) can differ by 10–20% for the same patient — always use the formula your lab applied, as drug dose adjustments are formula-specific.
Home blood pressure readings are typically 5–10 mmHg lower than clinic readings. Always take readings after 5 minutes' rest, arm supported at heart height, and average two readings 1–2 minutes apart.
A hypertensive crisis reading (≥180/≥120 mmHg) should be verified immediately by repeating in the other arm. If confirmed and accompanied by symptoms (chest pain, headache, visual disturbance), seek urgent medical care.
Track trends rather than single values — a cholesterol result moving from 6.5 to 5.2 mmol/L after lifestyle changes is more useful than any single reading, even if both are in the "borderline" category.

58% of UK adults have total cholesterol above 5.0 mmol/L — the most common cardiovascular risk factor. [NHS Health Survey for England, 2023]
5.6 million people in the UK are living with diabetes; 90% have Type 2. A further 13.6 million are at risk. [Diabetes UK, 2024]
1 in 10 adults worldwide has chronic kidney disease; most are unaware. eGFR screening identifies CKD before symptoms appear. [KDIGO, 2024]
Cardiovascular disease causes 1 in 4 deaths in the UK. Treating hypertension to target reduces stroke risk by 35–40%. [NICE Hypertension Guideline NG136, 2023]

Common mistakes to avoid

Converting units incorrectly — US labs often report cholesterol in mg/dL (multiply by 0.0259 to convert to mmol/L). Entering mg/dL values into a mmol/L calculator produces dramatically wrong risk classifications.
Using total cholesterol alone to assess cardiovascular risk — the TC:HDL ratio and LDL value together are far more predictive than total cholesterol in isolation.
Treating a single elevated creatinine as evidence of kidney disease — transient rises occur after high-protein meals, intense exercise, and dehydration. Chronicity (>3 months with two readings) is required for CKD diagnosis.
Ignoring white-coat hypertension — up to 25% of people with high clinic readings have normal ambulatory blood pressure. 24-hour ambulatory monitoring is the gold standard for diagnosis.

Clinical reference ranges vary by laboratory, analyser, and population. The thresholds in this calculator are derived from NICE Lipid Modification guidelines (2023), ADA Standards of Medical Care (2023), KDIGO CKD guidelines (2024), and AHA Blood Pressure guidelines (2017). They are intended as educational reference points only. A qualified clinician integrating your full medical history, examination findings, and local lab reference intervals must make any diagnosis or treatment decision. This calculator does not constitute medical advice.