Overview:
Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. One out of every three deaths in the US is related to cardiovascular disease. Nearly half of all heart attacks have no prior risk that would indicate the individual is in jeopardy of experiencing a cardiac event. Critical factors of cardiac risk assessment include the individual's personal and family history as well as laboratory test markers. Individuals who can potentially benefit from laboratory test assessment include those with diabetes, high blood pressure, poor diet, smokers, overweight/obese, lack of exercise, and advancing age.
The Evexia Basic Cardiovascular Panel is the first-line test to consider for assessing cardiovascular health. It measures the lipid profile via NMR, magnesium, and apolipoprotein assessment, as well as the CBC and comprehensive metabolic panel. This panel reports on health markers that indicate kidney and liver function, blood glucose regulation (via assessment of insulin, blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c), and inflammation.
Included in this panel is the NMR LipoProfile Test. This test consists of the traditional lipid panel markers such as LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. The lipid profile can help determine an individual's risk of heart disease and to guide decisions about what treatment may be best if there is borderline or high risk.
NMR LDL-P is a management tool used with appropriate high-risk patients (type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, CVD risk equivalent, statin-treated patients) to mediate response to treatment and guide adjustment in therapy. It is utilized in conjunction with other lipid measurements and clinical evaluations to aid in the management of lipoprotein disorders associated with cardiovascular disease. The NMR LipoProfile goes beyond the traditional markers by measuring LDL and HDL, particle size and number, and provides an Insulin Resistance Score, which is a laboratory-developed index associated with insulin resistance and diabetes risk. The IR Score can be used as one component of clinical assessment. Insulin resistance is the precursor to type 2 diabetes and manifests its earliest measurable abnormalities though changes in lipoproteins. The IR score may be a first alert to a heightened risk of developing T2DM.
This panel also includes high-sensitivity C-reactive Protein (hs-CRP) and lipoprotein (a). Studies have shown that measuring CRP with a high sensitivity test can help identify the risk of CVD. This test is different from the regular CRP test, which detects elevated levels of CRP in people with infections and inflammatory diseases. The hs-CRP test measures CRP that is in the normal range for healthy people and can distinguish people with low normal levels from people with high normal levels. High normal levels of hs-CRP in otherwise healthy individuals are predictive of the future risk of heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death, and peripheral arterial disease, even when lipid levels are within acceptable ranges. Several groups have recommended that this test be used for people with a moderate risk of heart attack over the next ten years; however, there is not a consensus on how the analysis should be employed otherwise, nor on how frequently the test should be repeated.
Lp(a) is a lipoprotein consisting of an LDL molecule with another protein (Apolipoprotein (a)) attached to it. Lp(a) is similar to LDL-C but does not respond to typical strategies to reduce LDL-C such as diet, exercise, or most lipid-lowering drugs. Since the level of Lp(a) appears to be genetically determined and not easily altered, the presence of a high level of Lp(a) may help to identify individuals who might benefit from more aggressive treatment of other risk factors. The apolipoprotein assessment test is included in the panel because studies have shown that the ratio of apolipoprotein A-1:apolipoprotein B may correlate better with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) than total cholesterol, and LDL:HDL ratio.
This panel comes with a free* Functional Health Report when Evexia Nutraceuticals are recommended. *A $5 fee is applied when recommendations other than Evexia Nutraceuticals are selected.
