Three heart tests worth asking about at your next checkup

New guidelines recommend broader testing and say cholesterol management should start decades earlier than most of us assumed.

 

Good to know before your next cholesterol test High cholesterol contributes to roughly 4.4 million deaths worldwide each year. But the latest AHA and ACC guidelines suggest that the standard cholesterol test most of us rely on may not tell the whole story. The updated recommendations call for 3 additional tests that go beyond the familiar LDL number. A coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan detects plaque already forming in your arteries. An apolipoprotein B (ApoB) test counts the actual artery-clogging particles in your blood, giving a more precise measure than LDL alone. And then there's lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a particularly adhesive form of cholesterol that doesn't respond to diet or exercise. "Lp(a) is a one-time blood test that checks for a genetic, 'sticky' type of cholesterol that doesn't improve with lifestyle changes," explained cardiologist Nathaniel Lebowitz of Hackensack University Medical Center. The guidelines also introduce a new risk calculator called PREVENT, designed to estimate heart attack and stroke risk over both 10- and 30-year windows in patients as young as 30. For a detailed breakdown of what has changed in these guidelines, and what to discuss with your doctor, jump to "Cholesterol: Updated guidelines advise more intense management." Also making headlines this week: 💊 Low-dose lithium could slow memory decline ☀️ Vitamin D won't prevent COVID, but it may help keep long COVID at bay 🩸 Type 1 diabetes linked to higher dementia risk in large U.S. study We love to hear from you, so please email us if you have any feedback, comments, or questions about this weekend's Sunday Supplement. Stay informed and stay healthy! Tim Snaith Newsletter Editor, Medical News Today

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