Hello Donna
That level is "moderately high", 5.7 being considered mildly high. The ideal is 5 although the majority of women in the the UK have a bit higher.
I am surprised you have not been asked to come in for advice since it is not desirable to have higher than normal levels because the risk of atherosclerosis is increased at higher levels. That's hardening of the arteries that can lead to heart attacks, strokes and all that nasty stuff. The risk of such serious problems in people with lupus is higher than in the population in general.
A study showed that young women with lupus suffer ten times more then well women in the same age group so in recent years this has become a major concern. I really think you should get down to docs and ask for a major check up to see if you have any other risk factors, like high blood pressure, and to ask for advice on how to manage it. Other factors that increase risk are smoking and lack of exercise, for example.
The main dietary advice is to limit or cut out animal fats and transfatty acids/ hydrogenated fats that are very common in shop bought goods. Animal fats is the dairy produce and fatty meats, replacing them with fish and lean cuts or fat free items like fat free milk. These days they say that other foods that have cholesterol and which used to be advised against such as eggs, prawns or offal, are OK as part of a balanced diet.
Your doctor might want to prescribe a statin drug.
By the way of general information Plaquenil is good at reducing cholesterol
All the best - take care of yourself and make sure your doctor does too
Clare
http://www.bhf.org.uk/keeping_your_heart_healthy/preventing_heart_disease/cholesterol.aspx
http://www.uklupus.co.uk/chol.html
