Denny Fongheiser poses in Palisades Park in Santa Monica, Calif. More doctors are going beyond standard cholesterol counts, using another test to take a closer look at the bad fats, a count of particles that carry LDL through the blood. Fongheiser’s usual 3-mile-a-day walk left him suddenly panting but his insurer wouldn’t pay for a stress test because his cholesterol was normal. A month later, chest pain sent Fongheiser to the hospital where he needed a stent to unclog an artery. It turned out he had high particle levels, which his cardiologist now aims to get below the LipoScience-recommended level of 1,000 with cholesterol-lowering drugs.By LAURAN NEERGAARD
AP Medical Writer
WASHINGTON – For heart health, you’re supposed to know your numbers: Total cholesterol, the bad LDL kind and the good HDL kind. But your next checkup might add a new number to the mix.
More doctors are going beyond standard cholesterol counts, using another test to take a closer look at the bad fats – a count of particles that carry LDL through the blood.
Cardiologists are divided over the usefulness of that approach. Proponents contend it might help them spot at-risk patients that regular checks might miss, or get more information about how aggressively to treat them.