A 64-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was referred by her primary care physician to our cardiology clinic for cardiac risk assessment. She had no cardiovascular risk factors or family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and reported having a healthy diet and regular exercise.
The patient’s primary care physician had ordered lipid profile testing, the results of which were total cholesterol, 224 mg/dL; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 107 mg/dL; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 97 mg/dL (to convert all cholesterol results to mmol/L, multiply by 0.0259); triglycerides, 96 mg/dL (to convert to mmol/L, multiply by 0.0113); and lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]), 110 mg/dL (to convert to mg/L, multiply by 10). The physician advised starting treatment with a statin and referred her to a cardiologist.