Good Health Lies at the Heart

At the age of 45, Mr. J suffered a heart attack. This was very unexpected since he was in good health, exercised regularly and did not smoke.

A blood test showed his cholesterol level to be more than double the expected level for a healthy man his age. Most of the cholesterol was found to be LDL, known as "bad" cholesterol, which puts patients at a very high risk of developing coronary artery disease.

Looking for further causes of the heart attack, Susan, a clinical lab scientist working on Mr. J's results, found that his mother had suffered a heart attack in her 50s; and his uncle had recently died of heart disease at 52 years of age. Susan recognized that high levels of blood cholesterol associated with a family history of heart disease suggest the possibility of an inherited disorder. She informed Mr. J's doctor of this possibility and stressed the importance of testing other members of the family. Acting on Susan's suggestion several of Mr. J's relatives were also found to have very high cholesterol levels and were offered cholesterol-lowering treatments to reduce their risk of developing heart disease.

The blood test helped identify an inherited cholesterol disorder that, undiagnosed, had plagued his family for generations.

Thanks to Susan's proactive communication and desire to determine the breadth of the problem, the patient and his family were able to take immediate action to reduce dangerously high cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of potentially fatal heart attacks.

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