Mayo Clinic Talks Podcast - Abby, When Should Statins Be Used?

Host: Joshua D. Luciew, MPAS, P.A.-C.

Guest: Abigail K. Stockland, APRN, C.N.P., M.S.N.

Guest: Michaeleen M. Burroughs, M.S., RDN, LD

A fasting lipid panel is part of a patient’s routine health maintenance visit. This common laboratory test has many values on it including total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. This test helps clinicians calculate a patient’s 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk (ASCVD risk) to help guide treatments. If a patient's risk is determined to be high, statin medications can be considered. However, despite using statin therapy and addressing modifiable risk factors, some patients still have elevated triglycerides.  What role do triglycerides play in a patient's health?  Does hypertriglyceridemia contribute to cardiovascular disease? Tune in to this episode to find out more from our panel discussion.

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