6B AUGUST 10 - 16, 2022 • HEALTHY LIVING
Northwell Pioneers Lipid Apheresis BY ANTON MEDIA STAFF
specialsections@antonmediagroup.com
H
igh cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease including heart attack, stroke and peripheral arterial disease. Though elevated cholesterol (lipids) may be due to dietary indiscretion, it can also be due to genetic predisposition, called Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH). Patients are born with very high levels of cholesterol due to a genetic mutation of the cholesterol receptor in the liver and are less responsive to medications intended to lower lipid levels. This diagnosis can be made through routine cholesterol blood tests and a physical examination. Patients with Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) possess one normal, and one abnormal cholesterol receptor gene and this occurs in 1 out of 250 people. Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) have two defective cholesterol receptor genes and this is seen in 1 out of 300,000 people. HoFH patients can have cholesterol levels above 400mg/dl and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels above 300mg/dl. Patients with FH can develop early coronary artery disease and are at greater risk for heart attacks and strokes and have a shorter life expectancy. Overall, patients with FH are 20 times more likely to develop heart disease. Cholesterol reduction in these patients requires more than diet and exercise modifications to achieve target cholesterol levels. Lipid lowering therapy is required and statin drugs are the preferred treatment. However, 7 to 20 percent of patients maybe statin intolerant. Many of these patients treated with maximally tolerated dosages of statins may not achieve their cholesterol
Guy L. Mintz, MD target and require multiple lipid lowering therapies. Patients who are at very high risk for cardiovascular events with persistent elevated cholesterol despite medical therapy may be candidates for Lipid Apheresis. Lipid Apheresis is a treatment indicated for patients with coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease or elevated Lipoprotein, and elevated cholesterol despite medical therapy. It is reserved for patients with atherosclerosis or at very high cardiovascular risk in whom medical treatments have been ineffective, or those with HoFH who have had a limited response to standard cholesterol lowering therapies. Lipid Apheresis is a lifelong procedure in which venous blood is filtered through an apheresis machine that removes the bad lipids and returns the “clean” blood back to the patient. The duration of the procedure ranges from two to four hours. The process
Apheresis machine significantly reduces total cholesterol components 70 to 80 percent, and lipoprotein 60 to 70 percent. The procedure is performed bi-weekly or weekly based on post procedure lipid levels. North Shore University Hospital is the only center on Long Island and is just the third center in New York to offer this cutting-edge procedure. The first procedure on Long Island was led by Dr. Guy L. Mintz, FACP, FACC, FNLA, and his team at North Shore University Hospital. “Lipid apheresis slows the progression of atherosclerosis, reduces vascular inflammation and in doing so, reduces the patient’s chances of a heart attack,” Mintz said. Mintz is the director of the lipid apheresis at Northwell Health and the Director of Cardiovascular Health & Lipidology at North Shore University Hospital. “The longer patients are exposed to very
high levels of cholesterol, the earlier they develop heart disease,” Mintz said. “This is especially true in patients with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia.” Mintz emphasized the importance of reducing high cholesterol as early as possible and seeking a treatment that is best suited to reduce a patient’s cardiovascular risk. For some patients that might be as simple as diet and exercise. Other patients may need medical therapy. And for some, lipid apheresis might be the best option. “We have brought new hope to a group of patients whose medications have failed,” Mintz said. “Apheresis is another important tool in our toolbox for treating these high-risk patients; early evaluation and intervention is an opportunity for cardiac prevention.” Mintz can be reached at Northwell Health System (1350 Northern Blvd,, Suite 202, Manhasset) or by phone at 516-482-3401.
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complementary foods until a child is 12 months old or older. You can read the full recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics. —Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
