01/12/2026
Does normal cholesterol always mean that everything is fine?
Very often during consultations I hear the same phrase:
“I have normal cholesterol, so my blood vessels must be fine.”
And this is exactly where the most dangerous illusion appears.
In clinical practice, I regularly see patients with acceptable or even low cholesterol levels who already have an ongoing inflammatory process in the vessel wall. And it is this inflammation — not cholesterol itself — that over time determines the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk.
Why does this happen?
Because vascular inflammation is not defined by a single test or a single number.
At an early stage, it manifests as a combination of changes that, when considered separately, may look “normal” and raise no concern — neither for the patient nor for the physician.
That is why standard medical evaluations often create a false sense of safety:
test results are “within normal limits,” overall well-being feels acceptable — yet the process is already underway.
For early assessment of vascular inflammation, it is important to look not only at the lipid profile, but also at markers of systemic and vascular inflammation, as well as indicators that reflect metabolic status and the response of the vessel wall. Only by evaluating these parameters together can we understand whether a process that requires attention is already present or not.
The good news is that such changes can be identified before a heart attack, stroke, or emergency situation — at a time when a person still has the opportunity to influence their prognosis.
That is why I have prepared a vascular inflammation checkup — a clear reference outlining which parameters are worth evaluating if you want to understand what is really happening in your blood vessels, even when cholesterol is “normal.”