What does a Lipidologist do?

A Lipidologist is a certified physician specializing in the prevention of dyslipidemia (cholesterol and other lipid disorders ) or related metabolic diseases (such as diabetes) which often lead to heart disease, stroke or atherosclerosis (vascular disease).

Dr. Mintz is a Board Certified Lipidologist who is actively involved in the National Lipid Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors.

What does a Preventive Cardiologist do?

Cardiologists diagnose heart disease and helps those who have to manage their condition live a healthier life to prevent other complications. They also handle heart attacks, irregular heart rhythms, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart failure. A cardiologist is also the doctor that determines whether angioplasty/stent or heart surgery is necessary to correct an issue.

A cardiologist goes through four years of medical school and then three years of training in general internal medicine before spending three years or more in specialized training to achieve an expertise in cardiovascular disease.

Should I see a Preventive Cardiologist?

If you are looking for a doctor that uniquely specializes in diseases and conditions of the heart and blood vessels, you want to see a cardiologist. Dr. Mintz has added expertise in the area of preventative heart disease and offers kind and compassionate advice form the heart. With patients as his top priority, families have trusted him for generations. He is always accepting new patients and has flexible appointments.

As of 2019, normal blood pressure levels are 130/80. Are you at risk?

Take the risk assesment here →

What causes cardiovascular disease?

Most people think of high cholesterol when they think of cardiovascular disease, but there are other risk factors. These risk factors are addaditive including high blood pressure, diabetes, family history obesity, sleep apnea, and smoking.

Seek medical attention if:

• You have chest discomfort when you walk or exercise.
• You have chest pain along with tiredness (fatigue) or shortness of breath.
• Your resting heart rate is usually faster than 100 beats per minute.
• You are a young man with erectile dysfunction.
• Shortness of breadth with low levels of activity

How can you prevent the event?

Begin your journey to a healthier heart by selecting a cardiologist who understands your medical history and can develop a treatment plan specifically for you. If there is a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, give your loved ones a gift. Make an appointment for your individualized risk assessment today.

Dr. Mintz has advance training in heart disease that distinguishes him from other doctors, meaning you don’t have to have symptoms to book an appointment with him. With his ability to act intelligently and not react, he has dedicated his career to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Mintz spends time getting to know his patients and learn their family history to help prevent plaque buildup in the arteries of the heart and reduce their risk of heart disease. He is an expert in New 2018 National Guidelines in cholesterol for treatment of cholesterol and prevention.

To prevent the event, focus on lifestyle changes. Dr. Mintz can reccomend diet and exercise adjustments.

The thought of heart disease can be frightening, and understanding a medical condition can be difficult. Because heart disease can affect anyone at any age, it’s important to know your body. That’s the basis of preventive cardiology, a scientific and medical way to identify heart health risks and prevent them from worsening.

Am I at risk for heart disease?

Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women worldwide. According to the American Heart Association, about 2,150 Americans die each day from heart disease or stroke. This equates to one person dying every 40 seconds. Your cardiologist can determine your risk of developing heart disease or a heart attack by a thorough clinical history, diagnostic testing, and blood tests.

Cardiac Testing and Imaging:

• EKG - Electrocardiography
• Standard Street Test
• Nuclear Stress Test
• Coronary Calcium Scoring
• Echocardiography
• Carotid & Vascular Imaging
• CT & MRI
• Blood Tests & Biomarkers (hs-CRP, lp(a))
• Sleep Apnea Evaluation

Am I at risk for a heart attack?

Most heart attacks happen with mild disease.

A heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction, occurs when a blood clot develops at the site of plaque in a coronary artery and suddenly cuts off most or all blood supply to that part of the heart muscle. If the blood supply is not restored quickly, the heart muscle will begin to die due to lack of oxygen. This can cause permanent damage to the heart and in worst cases, death. A 50% blockage accounts for the majority of heart attacks.

Heart attacks should not be confused with heart failure. Heart failure is a chronic, long-standing condition in which the heart can no longer pump adequate blood supply for the body’s needs.

Am I at risk for a stoke?

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for strokes.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is suddenly interrupted. When the brain lacks sufficient blood flow for a long enough period of time, brain damage or even death can result. Immediate medical attention and early treatment are critical to help minimize damage to brain tissue and improve the outcome. Working closely with your doctor and making lifestyle changes can help decrease the risk of stroke.

Am I at risk for sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea can be deadly when untreated.

Sleep apnea has emerged as a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is associated with heart attacks, strokes, and irregular heart beats. Characteristics of sleep apnea may include daytime snoring, nighttime eurination, and large neck size. If you have sleep apnea you should be evaluated by a cardiologist in addition to your pulmonary physician.

Am I at risk for high cholesterol?

High cholesterol is dangerous but is reversible and preventable. Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in your blood, needed to build healthy cells. High levels of cholesterol can develop atherosclerosis, a dangerous accumulation of cholesterol and other deposits, which limit blood flow through arteries. Sometimes, those deposits can break suddenly and form a clot, causing a heart attack or stroke.

High cholesterol can be genetic, such as Familial hypercholesterolemia, but it is often the result of or exacerbated by unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking. Other risk factors include obesity, age, and diabetes. Lifestyle changes can help prevent and treat high cholesterol — and boost the effectiveness of medications.

How does lifestyle effect risk?

Lifestyle choices play a large role in heart disease risk reduction.

Heart-healthy lifestyle can help prevent events of primarily cholesterol-causing heart disease. To help prevent or reverse high cholesterol, you can:

• Eat a low-salt diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains
• Limit the amount of animal fats and use good fats in moderation
• Lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight
• Quit smoking
• Exercise on most days of the week for at least 30 minutes
• Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all
• Manage stress

If you are at risk for heart disease, a cardiologist can help monitor your cholesterol and suggest appropriate lifestyle changes.

What is Statin Intolerance and the role of PCSK9 therapy?

5 to 20% of patients cannot tolerate the cholesterol medications called statins. Many of these patients have muscle aches and are unable to tolerate the appropriate statin dose to achieve their cholesterol goal.

Dr. Guy Mintz is an expert in the use of the new family of cholesterol lowering medications called PCSK9 inhibitors. PCSK9 inhibitors can lower the bad LDL cholesterol by 60%, and reduce cardiac events by 15% on top of the significant benefits provided by statin medications. Make an appointment with Dr. Guy Mintz to learn more about these medications and reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease.

Read more about PCSK9 →

What is Lp(a) and am I at risk for a heart attack?

Lp(a) is a cholesterol protein found in the body that is an independent risk factor for early heart attacks and stroke. An elevated lipoprotein (a), can increase the risk for a heart attack by three times. Sometimes patients can have normal blood pressure, normal cholesterol, and exercise regularly but still can have a heart attack at a young age. These patients may have an elevated Lp(a).

Dr. Guy Mintz as a Lipid Specialist, is an expert in the assessment of lipoprotein (a), and he can help modify your risk of an early heart attack. He is involved in evaluating medication effects on Lp(a).

Read more about Lp(a) →

Could Inflammation cause a heart attack?

Inflammation or irritation of the blood vessels is a unique and independent risk factor for heart disease. Vascular Inflammation is measured with the biomarker high sensitivity-CRP (C reactive protein) blood test. Inflammatory diseases such as Psoriasis, Crohn’s Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease have all been associated with an increased risk for heart disease.

Dr. Guy Mintz is an expert in inflammation and lectures throughout the country in this area.

Are women's hearts different?

Women’s blood vessels are smaller than men’s, therefore symptoms differ.

Heart disease affects more women than men, and differently than men. Women are more likely than men to have less extreme heart attack symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as shortness of breath or pain in one or both arms. These symptoms can be more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries but also in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart — a condition called small vessel heart disease or coronary microvascular disease.

Women are affected by more heart disease risk factors than men. Diabetes, stress, and smoking affect women’s hearts more strongly than men’s. Women tend to be less active than men, while pregnancy complications and low levels of estrogen after menopause can increase women’s’ risk for heart disease. ‘Broken heart syndrome’ is also a stress related heart condition which occurs more commonly in post-menopausal women.

Polycystic Ovary Disease, Pregnancy Induced Hypertension and early menopause have all been associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Woman of all ages, especially those with a family history of heart disease, should be aware of heart disease risk factors and adjust their lifestyle to reduce their risk.

Early detection and prevention are crucial. That’s why Dr. Mintz creates comprehensive heart health programs specifically for women.