Heart Disease Prevention

In evaluating heart health, cholesterol is not the only measure.  

Have you been tested for apo b, HS-c reactive protein, or lipoprotein a? These are other markers that give a wider picture of heart disease.   Other, more advanced tests include a heart CT score, or heart calcium score test, and a coronary angiogram. Heart CT scores evaluate the presence of coronary calcifications which can correlate with plaque. Plaque is the cholesterol-rich substance that forms in arteries that causes heart disease. 

A coronary angiogram is a radiology test where contrast is administered through an IV.  The contrast helps to visualize narrowings in the heart arteries.  These radiology results can be evaluated through artificial intelligence to further determine the types of plaques you have. Plaques vary in type with some plaques being more fragile to rupture and more life-threatening, which puts you at risk for an acute heart attack.  

Our goal in the concierge program is to evaluate all of these types of risk factors, including family history and genetics, laboratory tests, and radiology results, so we can optimize your heart health and prevent an acute heart attack.  Dr Steslow also emphasizes dietary, exercise, and lifestyle changes to help enhance your heart health.  For further prevention and treatment options, medications may also play a role in your heart health.

If you have been given a pill for heart health with no other education or options on other things you can be doing to optimize your heart health, join Dr. Steslow’s concierge program to get the best ongoing heart disease prevention care!