Expanded Test for Cholesterol

Recent research has uncovered a number of cholesterol subclasses that can cause heart disease, and these can now be measured in an expanded cholesterol test.

High levels of Lp (a), lipoproptein a, can increase an individual's risk for heart disease by up to 70% but is not included in standard cholesterol tests. The new expanded test breaks down high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) into more specific components and subclasses, including Lp (a), and can provide clues about genetic risk factors that cause atherosclerosis.

Called VAP (vertical auto profile), the test allows patients at risk for heart disease to be identified and treated early, according to Atherotech (Birmingham, AL, USA), which developed the test. It also aids risk stratification. In studies, the test identified up to 90% of those at risk for heart disease, while standard cholesterol tests miss up to 50% of those at risk, says Atherotech.

"What the VAP test does is provide more detailed cholesterol information than the routine cholesterol test for about the same price,” said Anderson Morris, M.D., medical director of the HealthSouth Heart College (also in Birmingham) and a pioneer in the use of expanded cholesterol testing.




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Atherotech