Health knowledge made personal
  
But as much as I attempt to stay on the cutting edge (not the bleeding edge, mind you!), I don't find myself ordering these additional tests and more in most patients. Why? Because they haven't even reached their baseline goals, eg LDL-C less than 160md/dL for those at low 10 year risk of heart disease, much less those at highest risk who have not yet reached an LDL of <70mg/dl.
In other words, as I teach the residents, order tests because the results will guide/affect your decision making process. Don't order tests just because you can! Well, in a meta-analysis or 52 prospective studies involving 246,669 participants published in today's New England Journal of Medicine , the authors concluded that the additional testing of CRP & fibrinogen in those patients w/o known heart disease but deemed to be at intermediate risk of 10-20% over the next 10 years would prevent one additional event for every 400-500 people tested. 
But note that the authors are not recommending that everyone have his/her CRP & fibrinogen tested, just those free of heart disease but at intermediate risk, as this additional information would help further stratify risk. So don't fall prey to ordering tests just because you can. Before you run, you first learn to walk. Likewise, before ordering that CRP & fibrinogen, make sure you've met & exceeded your LDL goals.Follow @alvinblin 
|
Write a comment:
|
