Cholesterol Management 101

Medical training is one of the most difficult times a new doctor has to endure in their quest to become a licensed and board certified physician or surgeon. Medical residencies traditionally require lengthy hours of their trainees. The American public and the medical education establishment increasingly recognized that such long hours were counter-productive, since sleep deprivation increases rates of medical errors.

In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME — the society that accredits training programs) addressed the current residency training and duty hour requirements. The elements highlighted include patient safety, resident wellness, and the resident training experience.

After lengthy debates among various medical societies, in 2007, regulations capped the work-week at 80 hours for medical residents in training. The ACGME also mandated that overnight call frequency to no more than one overnight every third day, 30-hour maximum straight shift, and 10 hours off between shifts. While these limits are voluntary, adherence has been mandated for the purposes of accreditation of the residency. (more…)

Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a group of genetic disorders that result in severe elevations of blood cholesterol levels. Despite being of one the most common serious genetic disorders, few people know about FH unless their life is affected in some way.

The prevalence of FH is 1 in 300 to 500 in many populations. There are over 620,000 FH patients currently living in the United States. Many of these people are unaware that their risk of premature coronary heart disease is elevated about 20-fold in patients that have not been treated. (more…)