High Lipoprotein (a)
I've had a history of borderline cholesterol. Age about 50 and generally active life style with activities like brisk walking, Tennis (2-3 times week). Weekly steps are in the range of 50-65K. But because my father died of cardiac arrest at the age of 62 and history of borderline cholesterol, doctor and a specialist (not cardiologist) prescribed me Statins (5mg only). I was hesitant because of side effects but professionals instilled fear in me (rightly so probably) that I started the medication 3 months ago and my overall cholesterol, LDLs and triglycerides came down significantly. Doctor suggested to check my Lipoprotein (a), although I got it checked after taking statin for 2 months, it came quite high, almost 3 times of max reference limit. I am concerned with that. Couple of questions, if someone had similar case:
1. Is it possible that statin increased my Lipo (a) numbers?
2. I've been told that this is genetic and I can't anything about it and this means I am at a higher risk than someone within range, what should be my next steps? Is to get calcium score and then finally angiogram to see how much blocking I have at the moment? Its taking emotional toll on me that I may be sitting on a time bomb.
Thanks for help.
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@pamgall
Thanks so much for your encouraging news! Very helpful!
Susan
Consider a CT angiogram. It's like a CT calcium scan, then they inject contrast that really outlines any plaque buildup. Much better than a stress test in terms of ease. It's like a 15 minute test. Note that Statins actually RAISE the calcium buildup in your arteries but that calcium is believed to prevent plaque breaking off and doing damage.
I got my GP to order it. This test is not a money maker for cardiologists so they prefer to subject you to several low quality of life tests.
ETA; Sorry, I'm new here and unfamiliar to how this forum works. I now see that many previous comments shared this information.