Heart disease remains on the rise in the United States. Most people are aware of common risk factors like high blood pressure and bad cholesterol, but there’s one lesser-known, inherited heart disease risk factor that affects millions and is passed down through families. It’s called lipoprotein(a), (lip-o-pro-teen-a) or Lp(a), (L-P-little A) and experts say having a high level can independently increase the risk of having a heart event such as a heart attack or stroke.

Joining us now is Dr. Icilma (EYE-SIL-MA) Fergus, (Fur-GUS) Professor of Medicine, Director of Cardiovascular Disparities and Clinical Lipidology at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, and Lynn, who is living with high L-p(a), to talk about this hidden heart risk and what you should know.

GUEST BIO

Icilma V. Fergus, MD, FACC, FASPC
Professor of Medicine
Director of Cardiovascular Disparities and Clinical Lipidology
Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Fergus is a board-certified professional in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, currently serving as the Director of Clinical Lipidology and Cardiovascular Disparities for the Fuster Heart Hospital at Mount Sinai. Her expertise lies in Preventative Cardiology, specifically focusing on Lipids and Hypertension, Women’s Heart Disease, and Cardiovascular Health Advocacy. She is Professor of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
With an active engagement in professional organizations, Dr. Fergus holds significant roles such as the past President of the Westchester board of the American College of Cardiology and past president of the Association of Black Cardiologists. She is also a past President of the Jack and Jill of America Foundation.
Beyond her professional commitments, Dr. Fergus passionately advocates for health equity and cardiac disease prevention. Her impactful contributions have been recognized through numerous awards, including the Luminary Award from the American Heart Association, the Community Service Award from the Heart Valve Society of America, Young Black & Gifted, and Community award from Delta Sigma Theta in 2023. In addition, she has been featured on numerous publications and broadcasts, including “Here and Now” with Sandra Bookman on ABC

#HeartDisease #LPa #HeartAttack #Stroke #DrIcilmaFergus

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September is National Cholesterol Education Month, an annual observance aimed at raising awareness about the importance of managing cholesterol levels. The month is dedicated to educating the public about the heart disease risks associated with high cholesterol and the steps individuals can take to help maintain healthy levels.   It’s the perfect time to meet the animated characters called the “Lipid Lurkers”—a visual representation of an often-unnoticed risk lurking in patients’ artery walls. While they may look small and silly, they represent a very real and dangerous health threat. Fat and cholesterol are types of lipids transported through the blood. Certain types of lipids, particularly LDL-C or “bad” cholesterol, can lead to buildup of plaque in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease or stroke.   This campaign was created to help educate and empower the nearly 100 million U.S. adults with high LDL-C—especially those who can’t take statins (medications to lower cholesterol) or who have uncontrolled cholesterol and haven’t reached their target levels despite treatment.   Now, there are solutions that offer an alternative to statins— additional options for lowering LDL cholesterol—while also lowering the risk of heart attacks and heart procedures like stent placement or bypass surgery    On Wednesday, September 10, LeAnne Bloedon, MS, RD, Vice President, Clinical Development at Esperion Therapeutics, will be available to discuss the havoc that too much bad cholesterol can cause inside artery walls—and how to lower your cholesterol.   She’ll also outline:   What high LDL cholesterol really does to your body (and why it’s often silent) Why managing cholesterol matters before your first cardiovascular event How the “Lipid Lurkers” campaign is making heart health more accessible, relatable, and even fun Who’s at risk—and what new options are available beyond traditional statins https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/esperions-lipid-lurkers-campaign-sheds-light-high-ldl-cholesterol-hiding-artery-walls

#septembercholesterol #cholesterol

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What are diabetes home tests?

Testing blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, is an essential part of your diabetes care plan.

Depending on your current condition, you may need to visit your doctor several times a year for formal testing, according to the American Diabetes Association. You may also need to reach out to your doctor for preventive testing, such as cholesterol checks and eye exams.

While staying in touch with your doctor is important for staying on top of your treatment plan, you can and should test your blood sugar on your own as long as your healthcare team advises you to.

Self-monitoring your blood glucose may be vital to your treatment. Testing your own levels allows you to learn how to manage your blood sugar regardless of the time of day or where you are.

Learn how these tests work and talk with your doctor about the benefits of self-monitoring.

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Sometimes people must face the toughest opponents in life —and for approximately 30 million Americans with known heart disease, bad cholesterol is a formidable challenger. 1-3

Lowering bad cholesterol and keeping it low takes a solid game plan. With September marking the kick-off of the football season and National Cholesterol Education Month, it’s the perfect time for people to check in with their doctor to make sure they have all the right plays to manage their bad cholesterol.

The most common type of heart disease, called known heart disease, is caused by consistent high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL-C), fats and other substances in the blood, that leads to the buildup of plaque on the walls of the arteries.4 This buildup can lead to major cardiac events, like a heart attack or stroke, and blockages in the arteries causing chest pain.4 That’s why it’s important for people with known heart disease to lower bad cholesterol and keep it low; yet even with what may seem to be the best game plan, only 20 percent of people with known heart disease who take statins to lower their bad cholesterol achieve their recommended cholesterol goal.1

Tactics to defeat a tough opponent need to be constantly assessed and adjusted to help ensure success – and the same is true for managing bad cholesterol. While you can’t control factors like genetics or age, there are still ways you can find success with the right lifestyle modifications and working with your doctor the find the right treatment plan.

Dr. Boone, President, CEO, and Medical Director of the Boone Heart Institute to discuss what plays your viewers or listeners should incorporate into their game plan to help maintain their heart health this National Cholesterol Education Month and beyond. He will talk about the importance of cholesterol management, ways to lower it, and have details about a first of its kind treatment approved by the FDA to lower bad cholesterol.

Interview is courtesy: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Sources:

1 Wong ND et al. Prevalence of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association stat ineligibility groups, statin use, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol control in US adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2012. J Clin Lipidol. 2016;10(5):1109-1118.

2 Selvin E, Alan TH. Contemporary Risk Factor Control and Walking Dysfunction in Individuals with Peripheral Arterial Disease: NHANES 1999-2004. Atherosclerosis. 2008; 201(2): 425–433.

3 Benjamin EJ et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics— 2019 Update Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2019;139(10):e56-e528.

4 Mayo Clinic. Arteriosclerosis / atherosclerosis. Accessed September 28, 2021: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arteriosclerosis-atherosclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350569?p=1

#footballseason #highcholesterol #education #heartdisease #badcholesteral #doctor #managefats #blood #arteries #gameplan #tactics #drboone #medical #novartispharmaceuticals #fda

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ASCVD is a type of heart disease caused by consistent high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL-C) in the blood that leads to the buildup of plaque on the walls of the arteries. The plaque buildup results in problems such as heart attack and stroke. For people with ASCVD, also referred to as “known heart disease,” it’s important to lower bad cholesterol.
At the same time, many ASCVD patients struggle to lower their bad cholesterol, no matter how hard they try. For people with high cholesterol, it can be challenging to follow a strict diet, exercise and medication routine, when faced with the realities of day-to-day life.
And even when taking statins, the most commonly prescribed treatment for lowering cholesterol, up to 80% of patients with ASCVD aren’t meeting their cholesterol target. Furthermore, up to two-thirds of patients stop taking statins within one year of starting treatment.
There have been recent options available in treating the millions of patients with ASCVD who are not getting their cholesterol low enough and keeping it low. Seth J. Baum, MD, cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer of Excel Medical Clinical Trials, will be available to discuss ways to keep your heart healthy and a new available treatment option.
Interview courtesy: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

#heart #month #healthy #habits #cholesterol #seth #baum #cardiologist #medical #novartis #pharmaceuticals #corporation #leqvio #disease #atherosclerotic #cardiovascular #ascvd #ldl #stroke #attack

The post February is Heart Month CREATING HEART-HEALTHY HABITS Ways to Lower “Bad Cholesterol When Your Best Isn’t Enough” appeared first on Good News!.

The high number of U.S. adults that have delayed or avoided medical care during the pandemic has led to adverse health outcomes, including increased risk for heart disease and stroke, and the latest data shows that cardiovascular disease is trending in the wrong direction. After the first year of the pandemic, there was a rise in heart disease and stroke-related deaths and declines in physical activity.
As the end of the year quicky approaches, many Americans may be thinking about how they can get their health back on track – such as getting back to the doctor and making new year’s resolutions.
Based on age and health status, there are many factors that Americans should be considering when talking to their doctor, especially when it comes to heart disease and stroke. It’s important for people to ask their doctor the right questions, including what healthy blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels are, and how they can check those levels at home. It’s also a good time to check with a doctor on small steps they can take, like activity and diet, to live a heart healthy lifestyle.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death for Black adults in the US. As with too many other issues, Black adults are disproportionately impacted – rates of premature heart disease are 87% higher for Black adults than white adults. CDC Foundation has launched a new national campaign to encourage adults to make heart health a priority—reminding them they can get to it in small steps. The “Start Small. Live Big,” effort focuses specifically on older adults (51% of adults with cardiovascular disease are age 60 or over, according to the American Heart Association).
The campaign encourages adults to get back on track with the small steps—like scheduling their medical appointments, getting active and eating healthy—so that they can get back to living big.
The CDC Foundation collaborated with CDC’s Million Hearts® Initiative to develop the campaign, designed to support CDC’s goal of preventing one million heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular events.
Dr. Larry Sperling, cardiologist and executive director of the CDC Million Hearts initiative, Americans should ask their doctors at end-of-year visits to help get their health back on track.

www.hearthealthysteps.org

LAURENCE S. SPERLING, M.D., FACC, FAHA, FACP, FASPC-BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Laurence S. Sperling, M.D., FACC, FAHA, FACP, FASPC is the current Executive Director of the Million Hearts Initiative for the Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He is the Founder and was the Director of The Heart Disease Prevention Center at Emory since 1997. He is currently the Katz Professor in Preventive Cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, and Professor of Global Health in the Rollins School of Public Health. He served as the President of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology from 2014-2016, served on the writing committee of 2018 the ACC/ AHA Guideline on the Management on Blood Cholesterol, and served as Chair of the World Heart Federation writing group on the Roadmap for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention among People Living with Diabetes. Dr. Sperling was the recipient of the 2017 Award of Honor from the Alumni Association of Emory University School of Medicine. He has received awards for excellence in teaching (including 4 Golden Apple Awards and The Dean’s Teaching Award), mentorship (Emory SOM 2018 Mentorship Award), and the R. Wayne Alexander Research mentor award. He has authored over 350 manuscripts/ abstracts/ books, and has been an invited speaker on every continent except Antarctica.

Interview courtesy: CDC Foundation

#larry #sperling #heart #doctor #pandemic #health #steps #medical #care #disease #stress #attack #stroke #cdc #americans #blood #pressure #cholesterol #sugar #death

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Unexplained high cholesterol. High cholesterol is sometimes the only evidence of an underactive thyroid in an older person. Because this sign may stand alone, high cholesterol warrants a thyroid evaluation.

Heart failure. Reduced blood volume, weaker contractions of the heart muscle, and a slower heart rate—all caused by low thyroid hormone levels—can contribute to heart failure, when your heart can’t pump out blood as effectively as it should The ineffective pumping may cause subtle symptoms such as feeling less energetic or just walking more slowly. In more advanced stages, fluid can back up in the lungs and legs causing shortness of breath and leg swelling.

Bowel movement changes. An older person with hypothyroidism might have constipation because stool moves more slowly through the bowels.

Joint or muscle pain. Vague joint pain is a classic hypothyroidism symptom. It sometimes is the only symptom of hypothyroidism in an older person. Many people experience general muscle aches, particularly in large muscle groups like those in the legs.

Psychiatric problems. Clinical depression—a common symptom in younger people with hypothyroidism—can also affect older people with the condition. The difference is that in older people it can be the only hypothyroidism symptom. Some older adults also develop psychosis with delusional behavior or hallucinations.

Cognitive decline. Older people with a very underactive thyroid gland can sometimes be misdiagnosed as dementia. That’s why doctors usual order thyroid testing in people with new cognitive decline. If you or a loved one is being evaluated for dementia, make sure that a thyroid test is part of the evaluation.

To learn more about diseases and conditions of the thyroid, read the Special Health Report, Thyroid Disease from Harvard Medical School.

Image: Alex Rath/Getty Images

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Nearly 62 million adult Americans have high cholesterol[i], and that number is growing. Of these, up to 34 million people are on standard treatment, which typically includes statins, on top of diet and exercise. However, 1 in 4 still aren’t able to control their cholesterol and continue to have elevated LDL-C levels[ii], putting them at increased risk for cardiovascular disease – the #1 cause of death in the U.S.[iii] In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects deaths from cardiovascular disease to increase by approximately 25% by 2030.[iv]

Additionally, up to 2 million people have genetically high cholesterol, also known as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which is harder to manage and puts them at up to 20-times higher risk for developing early heart disease in their 30s, 40s and 50s.[v],[vi]

People who require additional LDL-C lowering on top of statin therapy represent a high-risk population, who may need to consider other options when their cholesterol remains high despite standard treatment. Fortunately, there are non-statin treatment options that may help people reach their LDL-C goals.

As we approach February, American Heart Month, it’s important for people to think about their long-term health and how they can take care of their heart. Working with a healthcare provider to keep your cholesterol in check and finding a treatment option that helps you reach and maintain your goals are important ways people can take care of their health.

Katherine Wilemon from the FH Foundation, who had a heart attack at age 39 due to undiagnosed and unmanaged FH, and Dr. Pamela Taub, an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of California San Diego, will be available to discuss the risks associated with poorly managed cholesterol, risk factors for FH and treatment approaches that can make a difference for people who struggle to reach their cholesterol goals.

Interview is courtesy: Esperion Therapeutics

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