As I am in the Heart Cardiac Cath Lab, I believe that my final project will reflect my mentorship and will relate to heart attacks. One risk factor for heart attacks is levels of cholesterol and I found a great article by Dr. Allison Dupont, a cardiologist where I work, on heart attacks and cholesterol. She discusses how there are two types of cholesterol the "bad" type or LDL and the "good" type or HDL. She said that having too much LDL can lead to atherosclerosis where cholesterol attaches to the sides of vessels which can lead to artery blockages or coronary artery disease. She mentioned that healthy living can reduce high levels of the bad type of cholesterol however only twenty percent of cholesterol is related to foods consumed so it is important that if healthy choices do not reduce the levels of cholesterol, it is important to consider drug therapies to target the other eighty percent that cannot be affected by what is being eaten but is rather created and regulated in the liver. She focuses on the important of taking steps in order to prevent a potentially deadly heart attack.
Dupont, Allison. "Can Cholesterol Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease." Northeast Georgia Heart Center, Sept. 2010. Web. <http://www.ngheartcenter.com/pdf/dupont1.pdf>.
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