5 Blood Test Results You Should Never Ignore After 40 | Dr. Mandell

Standard Lipid Panel [00:39]

• Measures LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.
• LDL particles can become trapped in artery walls, forming plaque.
• High LDL and triglycerides often have no direct symptoms.

  "The familiar blood test that measures LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol."

Apolipoprotein B (apoB) [01:53]

• Counts the number of artery-damaging LDL and triglyceride-rich particles.
• Provides an estimate of total atherogenic particles circulating in the blood.
• Useful for individuals with elevated triglycerides, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome.

  "That means apoB gives your healthcare professional an estimate of the total number of atherogenic particles circulating in your blood."

Lipoprotein A (LPA) [03:35]

• An LDL-like particle with an additional protein, largely determined by genetics.
• High LPA contributes to plaque formation, inflammation, and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Often has no symptoms and is not included in standard cholesterol panels.

  "Your LPA level is largely determined by genetics, so a person can eat well, exercise, maintain a healthy weight, and still have an elevated level."

Hemoglobin A1C [04:36]

• Measures average blood sugar over the past 3 months.
• Persistently elevated glucose can damage blood vessels and accelerate arterial disease.
• Prediabetes often produces no symptoms, making testing crucial.

  "The A1C test measures the percentage of hemoglobin carrying glucose and provides an estimate of your average blood sugar over roughly the previous 3 months."

Kidney Evaluation [06:01]

• Includes blood creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio.
• Creatinine estimates kidney filtration efficiency.
• Urine albumin can detect kidney blood vessel injury early.

  "Creatinine is a waste product used to estimate how effectively the kidneys filter the blood, while urine albumin can reveal injury to the tiny blood vessels of the kidneys even when the EGFR is still relatively preserved."

High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) [06:49]

• A marker of inflammation that can add information when cardiovascular risk is uncertain.
• An elevated result is not specific to the heart and can be raised by various conditions.
• Abnormal results may need to be repeated and interpreted with the full clinical picture.

  "This blood test measures a marker of inflammation that may add information when cardiovascular risk is uncertain."

Comprehensive Cardiovascular Assessment [07:31]

• Laboratory tests are pieces of a larger puzzle.
• Combine test results with age, blood pressure, family history, lifestyle, and sometimes imaging.
• The goal is to discover risk early for timely intervention and prevention.

  "Your healthcare professional should combine these findings with your age, blood pressure, family history, smoking status, activity level, nutrition, sleep, waist size, medications, diabetes status, kidney health, and sometimes imaging, such as a coronary artery calcium scan."

Immediate Warning Signs [08:38]

• Never wait for routine testing if experiencing chest pressure, severe shortness of breath, fainting, or other acute symptoms.
• These signs require immediate emergency evaluation.

  "Those warning signs require immediate emergency evaluation."