My 50 year-old sister who attained menopause at 45, was recently asked to undergo a Lipid profile. All the figures were normal — Blood sugar, serum cholesterol, Triglycerides, VLDL. Her HDL cholesterol level was a healthy 62. Only the LDL cholesterol was borderline high at 146 mg/dl. For a fit, healthy person of normal weight, is borderline high LDL cholesterol, in isolation, a cause for concern?

From your letter I presume that she is non hypertensive and non diabetic. In the absence of the above, and any other risk factors (including family history), her LDL cholesterol level should not be a major concern. However to maintain artery health, it is always a good idea to keep the LDL cholesterol level below 130 mg% with dietary modifications and exercise.

My son is 5 years old and underweight. He has not gained any weight in the last 2 years, is very weak and ill most of the time. He keeps getting fevers, colds and cough periodically, sometimes as frequently as every 20 days. Doctors say his immunity is very low. We have been giving him health tonics, but his condition remains the same.

Allen suggest that you see a child specialist. Give the doctor a list of what your son eats and drinks daily. After he has been examined, the doctor may advise certain basic tests for the purpose of diagnosis and proper management. These may include Complete Blood Count, ESR, urine examination (routine and culture), Mantoux Test with 5 TU and chest X-ray. He may also suggest a course of medication for deworming. Frequent colds and fever are usually not a cause for worry in a child, as long as he continues to gain weight, remains active and comes out of these episodes of illnesses without too much trouble. Children actually gain lifelong immunity to many of the viruses that cause these conditions in this manner. But a child whose weight is taken regularly on the same weighing scale and who does not gain weight for 3 or more consecutive months, should be investigated. It may turn out that your child has nothing more serious than a low haemoglobin level. A proper dose of iron may be all that he needs to set matters right. Everything, of course, depends on the outcome of the above mentioned tests.