Cholesterol & Lipid Tests: Frequency - Health Channel

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Cholesterol & Lipid Tests: Frequency |

Physicians recommend children to undergo tests to determine if they have a genetic disorder, says Dr. Jonathan Fialkow, Deputy Chief of Cardiology with Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.
He considers lipid profile could be done every three years if people are healthy. But if someone has any disease, the medical checkup should be more frequently.
The National Lipid Association has a great education material to deal with cardiovascular health as well as the American College Cardiology.

Transcript

How often should you be getting those numbers checked so there are different organizations that have different guidelines interesting Lee now we actually recommend getting kids checked really there are genetic disorders and we can recognize them really an early age if you think about those chronic risk it accumulates over your lifetime so the earlier you recognize it and correct it the better it is most adults should get a lipid profile done as part of the physical probably every three years if you’re healthy when you start getting older maybe a little freak more frequently if you have disease that’s something we follow because obvious it’s a marker or are we controlling the disease but I don’t think it’s something that people have to run out and get right away or do annually even though it’s mostly done when you get usual physicals so three years but if you’re at a higher risk so you’ll be doing it more if you have a strong family history of premature of vascular disease you have additional risk factors and that’s something you want to intervene on your lipid profile you would want to get it more frequently but from a process of checking it out you know not need it more than every year if that much if you’re having a dimension done you put on the medication you change your diet you want to compare that’s a different story but there’s no reason to check it every couple of months without in the intervention so where can people go to get more information on getting their cholesterol check I think that you know the National lipid Association is really a wonderful organization lipid org and they’ve got great education materials I think they’re leading the way in this space leading some of the other big national organizations that deal with cardiovascular health and I think they’re a great site there are lots of other organizations that promote you know again American College of Cardiology has a whole lipid section and whatnot but I really think the National lipid Association would be real good go-to site so National lipid Association now before we wrap the exams that you take these are just blood work or so depending on how one’s high ones risk is my family history and by other lifestyles you usually start with a blood test but not even with a high cholesterol and high triglyceride is gonna have a vascular disease that’s why we want to individualize the patients if you tell me your cholesterol is high and your parents cholesterol is high and your grandparents cholesterol is high and your great-great parents who are dancing at the age of 105 cholesterol is high I’m gonna say maybe you don’t have as big a problem so there can be additional tests we might look for in the right population of coronary calcium score is a test for an individual gives further screening if you have other risk factors for example two people the same cholesterol one’s a heavy smoker we might say in that person we’re gonna lower on cholesterol more we just impact whatever we can easily impact the lower inflammation so like I said the doctor’s evaluation may include more testing to further stratify how high is your risk and do you need truth you

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