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Cardiology · Laboratory Medicine

Estimated LDL Cholesterol (Nelson Equation) calculator

Enter the published formula inputs below to calculate and interpret this score.

Clinical inputs

Result

Complete all required inputs to calculate the score.

Formula inputs

  • Total cholesterol (mg/dL)Accepted range: 100 to 400
  • HDL cholesterol (mg/dL)Accepted range: 20 to 120
  • Triglycerides (mg/dL)Accepted range: 50 to 400

Primary source

Nelson CP et al. Evaluation of a method for estimating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in hypertriglyceridemia. Clin Chem. DOI: 10.1093/clinchem/29.3.404. PMID: 6828433. Scope: Nelson LDL estimate (mg/dL) = total cholesterol − HDL cholesterol − (triglycerides / 2.2) when triglycerides are below 400 mg/dL. (1983)

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