Question

You are referred a 49-year-old male for on-going care after having suffered an Acute Myocardial Infarction. The notes from the cardiologist states the patient is apparently not hypercholesterolemia but is somewhat obese and his father died of a ‘heart attack’ at 59 years of age. On clinical examination you confirm the obesity (BMI = 31), the patients BP is 165 /105 mmHg, he admits to smoking between 20 and 30cigarettes a day until his AMI, but no overt evidence of hyperlipidemia is detected. Other than his father there is no clear history of premature CAD in his family. A fasting cholesterol is 5.2 mmol/l,HDL-C 0.8 mmol/l, trigs 2.7 mmol/l.

      i. Discuss the LP profile in terms of its risk potential and causation.
      ii. Discuss the overall risk of the patient.
     iii. Discuss what other laboratory determination(s) may be useful in assessing this patient.

Answer 1