Advanced Lipid Testing Specialist
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Cogent Family Healthcare
Stephen J Sims, MD
Family Medicine located in Mountain View, CA
If you have risk factors for heart disease related to high cholesterol levels, you can receive advanced lipid testing at Cogent Family Healthcare. At their Mountain View, California, office, Stephen Sims, MD, and the medical staff offer testing to accurately measure your cholesterol levels and evaluate your risk for long-term health complications from a heart attack or stroke. To learn more about the diagnostic benefits of advanced lipid testing, call Cogent Family Healthcare today or request a consultation online now.
Advanced Lipid Testing Q & A
What are lipids?
Lipids are the fats in your blood that combine with proteins to form lipoproteins. These lipoproteins, also known as cholesterol, are important for making the energy your body needs to function.
Two types of lipoproteins include:
High-density lipoproteins
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are often known as good cholesterol because they travel through the blood and pick up excess cholesterol to be eliminated from the body.
Low-density lipoproteins
Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are the so-called bad cholesterol because they can build up in the arteries and increase risk factors for a stroke or heart attack.
To evaluate the levels of lipoproteins in your blood, the staff at Cogent Family Healthcare offers advanced lipid testing in-office to determine your risk factors for heart disease.
What is advanced lipid testing?
Advanced lipid testing is an in-depth assessment of your cholesterol levels. The medical team at Cogent Family Healthcare use this type of testing to improve results of your treatment for high cholesterol.
Standard cholesterol tests are still used to evaluate cholesterol, but they may not be as effective in determining health risks related to high cholesterol, like heart attacks and strokes. This is because some people may not have a lot of LDL cholesterol but do have an excess of LDL particles that can eventually lead to plaque buildup and blockages in the arteries.
Advanced lipid testing measures the LDL particle numbers in each liter of plasma and the concentration of lipoprotein particles that have apolipoprotein B (apoB) on the surface, which provides a better measure of your risk factors than standard cholesterol testing.
What treatments are available for high cholesterol?
If your lipids test indicates a high-risk factor for heart disease due to high cholesterol, the Cogent FamilyHealthcare team offers comprehensive care to lower your LDL.
Initially, the medical team focuses on making lifestyle and dietary changes to lower bad cholesterol naturally, such as:
- Losing weight
- Quitting smoking
- Eating a healthy, low-fat diet
- Engaging in daily exercise
Through their nutritional counseling services, the Cogent Family Healthcare staff can help you make long-lasting changes to your diet and lifestyle.
If these changes aren’t enough to control high cholesterol, you may need a daily medication that lowers cholesterol and your risk for heart disease. The Cogent Family Healthcare team closely monitors your cholesterol levels through routine cholesterol and advanced lipid screenings.
If you have a family history of high cholesterol or need a cholesterol screening, schedule a consultation at Cogent Family Healthcare today by using the online booking feature or by calling the office.
