October Options

Information at the right time and with the right support can change lives

Preserving blood vessel health is really a discussion about risk. There’s a lot of noise in this space. Ultimately, it’s about keeping the blood flowing smoothly. In humans, we tend to build up cholesterol (fats) and inflammation in the walls of our “pipes” and this leads to plaques that can limit or block blood flow, leading to heart attacks and strokes. Typically, doctors are trained to discuss people’s risk of disease and these clinical events along a 10-year time horizon. Except it’s a longer time horizon we should be discussing. We cannot wait to talk about 10-year risk when people are 60 or 70 years of age. We should be discussing risk long before that. Because we’ve got several decades of time horizons where risk can be limited. Heart attacks and strokes that don’t have to happen because the plaques never formed in the first place.

For cardiovascular disease and preserving blood vessel health, there are lots of things we can do. Being active, eating a heart healthy diet, not smoking, reducing stress, getting good sleep and the list goes on. Some of us will have risk despite doing all those good healthy activities. One simple, once-in-a-lifetime test for cardiovascular risk can be done. It’s important because it’s our best-known risk factor AND it’s one that carries more risk – so it shapes our conversations with our doctors. Earlier. Early enough to prevent the plaques from building up. But you have to get the test. Have the conversation. Make an informed decision about your risk.

The test is for Lp(a) or “lipoprotein little a”.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime test because unlike the other components of a cholesterol panel of tests, it does not change with diet or age. You either have it within normal range or you don’t. It matters because it’s like a gremlin – hanging on to 8-10x more cholesterol that the usual carriers in our blood. This is cholesterol that now gets into our blood vessel walls and sets up inflammation. Imagine if you could get ahead of that from happening? To do that, you will need a more informed conversation with your doctor if you have abnormal Lp(a). It’s really about an option for information. An option for making changes early. An option for a longer and healthier life.

 But you need to know.

This is not abstract pie-in-the-sky science. It’s here and it’s in several clinical guidelines throughout the world. The problem is sometimes our own doctors just don’t know. It’s not their fault. Too much information for too many patients with too little time. But once they know, they have the tools to help you forward. 

So it’s up to us. Good information at the right time with the right support can change a life.

Challenge for the month:

Let’s start the conversations early and with meaningful information – sooner than later.

Kathryn