Cardiac and Lipids Tests
The Tests (10)
BNP NT-proBNP
Blood markers the heart releases when its walls are stretched, used to diagnose and monitor heart failure; kidney function and age affect levels.
Read the deep dive →Homocysteine
Blood level of an amino acid from methionine metabolism, linked to B12, folate, B6 and MTHFR, and studied as a heart and dementia marker.
Read the deep dive →Lipid Panel
The standard blood test of total, LDL and HDL cholesterol plus triglycerides, used to assess heart risk; fasting matters most for the triglyceride result.
Read the deep dive →Coronary Calcium Score
A short, non-contrast CT scan that scores calcified plaque in the heart's arteries to gauge long-range heart risk; it cannot see soft, uncalcified plaque.
Read the deep dive →Cardiac-Troponin
Measures heart-muscle proteins that leak into blood when cells are damaged, the main test for a heart attack; other conditions can raise it too.
Read the deep dive →ApoB
Counts atherogenic cholesterol-carrying particles in blood, one ApoB molecule per particle, studied as a sharper predictor of heart risk than LDL cholesterol alone.
Read the deep dive →Omega-3-Index
Percentage of EPA and DHA in red-blood-cell membranes, reflecting omega-3 status over roughly three months, and studied as a heart-health marker.
Read the deep dive →hs-CRP
A sensitive blood test for C-reactive protein, a liver-made inflammation signal, used to detect low-grade chronic inflammation tied to cardiovascular risk.
Read the deep dive →Lipoprotein a
Measures Lp(a), a largely inherited LDL-like particle that stays stable for life and carries heart risk a routine lipid panel misses.
Read the deep dive →Echocardiogram
Ultrasound of the heart, with no radiation or needle, showing how well it pumps, how the valves work and whether chambers are normally sized.
Read the deep dive →Cardiovascular risk before an event, and cardiac injury during one. Includes the newer risk markers that a standard lipid panel misses.