If you have high cholesterol, your primary care provider may prescribe you a statin and monitor your health over time. However, your provider might choose to refer you to the Advanced Lipid Clinic for care if you have a complex lipid disorder.

It’s important to treat high cholesterol, high triglycerides and other lipid disorders, because they can increase your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. The lipidologists at the Advanced Lipid Clinic can treat any lipid condition to reduce your risk of cardiac events.  

What is a lipidologist? 

A lipidologist, or lipid specialist, is a healthcare provider with a special interest in lipids who has expertise in treating common and uncommon lipid conditions. Board-certified lipid specialists have specialized knowledge and additional training in lipid conditions. After they pass the lipidology board exam, they receive certification from the American Board of Clinical Lipidology.  

How does high cholesterol increase the risk of heart attack or stroke? 

Your body produces cholesterol, and certain foods that you eat also contain cholesterol. Tiny, waxy particles of cholesterol are carried through your bloodstream. When too much LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol builds up in your bloodstream, some of it can stick to the inner walls of your arteries and remain there, forming plaque. When plaque builds up within your arteries (atherosclerosis), it narrows the blood vessels.

Your heart must then work harder to pump blood throughout your body to bring oxygen to your organs. If your heart doesn’t receive enough oxygen, it may cause a heart attack. If your brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen, it may cause a stroke. When you keep your cholesterol under control, it decreases the risk of plaque building up in your arteries (atherosclerosis), which reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke. 

Why would a patient see a lipid specialist? 

There are a number of reasons why you might go to a lipidologist: 

  • If you have high cholesterol but you’re statin intolerant (unable to take statins because of side effects or another reason), and you need different medication to manage your condition.
  • If a genetic lipid disorder runs in your family, such high cholesterol, high triglycerides or high lipoprotein(a).
  • If you have high cholesterol plus heart disease and the cholesterol-lowering medication that your primary care provider prescribed hasn’t lowered your numbers.
  • If you’ve already had a cardiac event, and you want to prevent another event from happening. 

What should patients expect during an appointment at the Advanced Lipid Clinic? 

You’ll meet with a board-certified lipid specialist, who will ask about your personal and family health history and perform a physical exam. You might also be offered an electrocardiogram (EKG), which records your heart’s electrical activity, to assess your heart health. If you have a family history of complex lipid disorders, you’ll be referred to a cardiovascular geneticist for counseling and testing. 

Lipid specialists diagnose and treat lipid disorders, typically with medication and lifestyle changes. After you’re diagnosed, you should be prescribed medication to manage your health. You might also receive advice and printed handouts to help you make lifestyle modifications to help manage your condition. 

When you’re prescribed medication for the first time, your lipid specialist may want to see you again in a couple of months, to see if it’s effective. Once you’re on a stable treatment regimen, you may only need annual appointments with the lipidologist to check on your health.  

What treatments, other than statins, are available for lipid disorders? 

More treatments than ever are available to treat lipid disorders. In the past 5 to 10 years, a number of drugs have been approved, which may give you options. Many new treatments control lipid disorders more effectively, decreasing your risk of heart attack and stroke. Some new cholesterol-lowering medications are used in combination with statins. Others are used instead of statins, particularly for people who are statin intolerant. 

Last year, a medication was approved to treat high triglycerides caused by a genetic condition. The new medication has a different mechanism of action than existing medications; it treats the condition in a different manner than other drugs do. Some newer medications are given by injection, which you may prefer. Rather than taking a pill every day, you might be able to inject yourself every other week or once a month, or you might receive one injection every 6 months from your provider. 

Newer treatments have improved quality of life for many patients. In some cases, it has eliminated the need for invasive, time-consuming treatments like plasmapheresis or lipid apheresis. These treatments are similar to dialysis, because a patient’s blood is sent through a machine to remove different substances. 

Should patients with lipid disorders expect to make certain lifestyle changes? 

Treatment plans are individualized for every patient, but your lipid specialist should ask you to follow a healthy diet and get regular physical activity. They usually recommend: 

  • Mediterranean diet. This eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds and fish. It limits red meat and full-fat dairy products, which are high in cholesterol, as well as saturated fat, which raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. 
  • Exercising for at least 150 minutes each week. If you get 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every day, you’ll easily hit 150 minutes each week. Walking is an excellent way to achieve this goal. 

Patients with high cholesterol, high triglycerides or a family history of lipid disorders can benefit from meeting with a board-certified lipid specialist. ChristianaCare’s Advanced Lipid Clinichas regular hours on Wednesdays in the Newark Cardiology office. To make an appointment, call 302-623-1929. 

 

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