Month: March 2008

This story is important for readers that plan to have their cholesterol level checked this year. Not only should you get an entire lipid profile (which should include [1] TC [total cholesterol], [2] HDL [what I call “healthy” cholesterol], [3] LDL [what I call “lethal” cholesterol,” and [4] TG [triglyceride]), but also, an additional and fairly inexpensive lab test, called the ApoB. I’ve been doing this test for my patients for over a decade and it’s good to see recommendations supporting my practice. This story explains why you should consider requesting this test from your doctor. Who should have a lipid profile? According to the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce, it is strongly recommended “that clinicians routinely screen (1) men aged 35 years and older, and (2) women aged 45 years…

The controversy about Vytorin and Zetia continues. As I’ve been saying since this story began to break, the group of patients studied was one that had a genetic disease leading to very high levels of cholesterol. This study was not done on normal patients. Further, in this type of patient, it is not unusual to need three drugs to control their cholesterol levels. So, the fact that two drugs (Vytorin [ezetimibe & simvastatin] and Zetia [ezetimibe]), did not work to reduce plaque in the neck arteries should not be terribly surprising. The real question is whether a drug like Vytorin, which dramatically lowers LDL(“bad” or “lethal” cholesterol), can reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes. Studies looking at that are now in progress. And, my guess is that they…