VAP® Cholesterol Test Helps OB/GYNs in Dual Role as Primary Care Docs

Atherotech Diagnostics Lab to participate in American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists clinical meeting

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Physicians in the OB/GYN discipline regularly see patients looking for a one-stop primary care visit. While these obstetricians and gynecologists specialize in pregnancy and reproductive health, their practices are growing broader to include managing their female patients’ risk of future heart disease.

“Reproductive health and lipids pose challenges in primary prevention strategies for women”

Cardiodiagnostic company Atherotech Diagnostics Lab (www.Atherotech.com) is helping OB/GYNs to understand metabolic syndrome abnormalities and cardiovascular health disorders and disease. Atherotech will attend the 59th Annual Clinical Meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) held April 30-May 4 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Atherotech will showcase its VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) Test and offer blood draws to qualified attendees in booth #1744. Unlike the standard lipid profile, the VAP Test directly measures LDLc; therefore, fasting is not required.

Attending the meeting is Steven Foley, M.D., a Colorado Springs, Colo., OB/GYN and ACOG member, who routinely administers the VAP Cholesterol Test to patients at their annual exam. Foley specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of PCOS and will be available throughout the ACOG gatherings to discuss how he utilizes the VAP Test and other tests offered by Atherotech in his practice.

Atherotech Medical Advisory Board member and OB/GYN Robert A. Wild, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., is an experienced clinician and investigator with a focus on primary prevention strategies combining gynecology and preventive cardiology in women’s health.

“Reproductive health and lipids pose challenges in primary prevention strategies for women,” Wild said. “Issues such as reproductive endocrinology, PCOS, infertility, post- and peri-menopause and cardiovascular risk impact millions of American women and the OB/GYN is often their first source to turn to.”

The VAP Test is widely covered by insurance, and results have shown a correlation between patients who have PCOS and low levels of HDL₂, a highly protective subclass of high density lipoprotein (HDL). It also identifies markers of metabolic syndrome, often associated with early diabetes.

The VAP Test is the only expanded lipid test that routinely reports directly measured LDLc, which is included in the 22 reported cholesterol components — all at no additional cost. These components include Lp(a), apoB, apoA1, and the apoB/apoA1 ratio, making the VAP Test the only lipid profile that routinely reports all three lipid parameters — LDL, non-HDL and apoB — considered necessary by the American College of Cardiology and the American Diabetes Association.

Atherotech provides clinicians with a single source for the VAP Cholesterol Test and more than a dozen cardiovascular and metabolic tests, including C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP), LpPLA₂, apoE genotype, NT-proBNP, cystatin C, T3 and T4 when TSH is abnormal, plus gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), a recognized cardiovascular risk biomarker.

Get updates throughout the conference by following Atherotech on Twitter and Facebook. For more information, visit www.Atherotech.com or call 877.901.8510.

About Atherotech Diagnostics Lab

Atherotech is a CLIA-certified clinical reference laboratory and cardiodiagnostic company focusing on cardiometabolic tests, including the company’s patented VAP Cholesterol Test, which reports the cholesterol content of all lipids, components and subclasses. The VAP Test is the first cholesterol profile to comply with updated National Cholesterol Education Program ATP III recommendations for direct LDLc measurement, which is accurate with non-fasting samples. The VAP Test is available through national and regional diagnostic laboratories and is reimbursed by many of the largest private insurers as well as Medicare. For more information, visit www.Atherotech.com.