About 93 million US adults have cholesterol levels over 200 mg/dl according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Such high levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. If you’ve got high cholesterol or triglyceride levels, your lipidologist in Phoenix, AZ, Dr. Kevin Chan of Pineapple Health, can help you manage your lipid levels to protect your health.
What is a Lipidologist?
A lipidologist is a specialized physician who can help you manage high blood lipid levels. Blood lipids include cholesterol and triglycerides. Cholesterol in your blood can either be high density or low density. Health problems such as heart attacks and strokes are more likely to occur with increased levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), known also as bad cholesterol. Cholesterol isn’t all bad as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), known as good cholesterol, helps protect your heart.
An imbalance in your LDL and HDL levels can have negative health consequences. However, your Lipidologist in Phoenix, AZ, can help you monitor and manage your blood lipid levels to restore balance.
Who Needs a LIpidologist?
If you’ve got any sort of imbalance in your blood lipid levels, you might need a lipidologist’s help. Health conditions that can benefit from a lipidologist’s expertise include:
- Hypercholesterolaemia
- Hypertriglyceridaemia
- Hyperglyceridaemia
- Hyperchylomicronaemia
- Hyperlipoproteinaemia
- Combined hyperlipidemia
- Diabetes mellitus
- Familial hypercholesterolemia
How Does a Lipidologist Help?
Your lipidologist can help diagnose and manage lipid disorders. Your lipid profile, determined by blood tests, helps your lipidologist determine what medication and lifestyle modifications are most helpful for your health condition. Cascade testing from your lipidologist can help screen your entire family for high triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Following diagnosis, your lipidologist can also monitor your treatment’s progress.
Lifestyle modifications that your lipidologist might recommend include:
- Quit smoking
- Low-fat diet
- Physical activity
Medications such as PCSK9 inhibitors, Juxtapid (lomitapide), LDL apheresis, and Mipomersen sodium may be necessary to manage your diagnosis.
Seeing your lipidologists in Phoenix, AZ, helps you manage your lipid levels to protect your health. Call (480) 961-2366 to schedule your consultation with your lipidologist, Dr. Chan, at Pineapple Health today.