Atherosclerosis

Treatment

Early preventive care for people at high risk for cardiovascular disease is essential to reducing the risk of heart attack and maintaining good health. Creating a personalized program involves:

• Cardiology consultation
  The patient meets with a cardiologist who specializes in preventive assessment of cardiovascular risk and treating novel risk factors. This includes reviewing test results and recommending therapies, preventive measures, lifestyle changes, as well as assessing the patient's suitability for clinical studies of new treatments.
• Novel Risk Factor Management
  A patient may have novel risk factors with or without having other conventional risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure. Treatment options will depend on what risk factors the patient has. For managing novel risk factors, the therapies may involve increasing daily intake of folate and other B vitamins or omega-3 fatty acids, participating in appropriate clinical studies of new treatments, or monitoring closely to determine if other risk factors for heart disease develop.
• Coordinated care
  Patients can follow their treatment program through Mayo Clinic or through the clinic of their choice. Mayo Clinic will coordinate with the patient's primary care physician to share findings and recommendations and ensure a coordinated, individualized, long-term approach to the patient's cardiovascular health.
• Percutaneous angioplasty
  Coronary (percutaneous) angioplasty is a common medical procedure used to treat narrowings in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
• Surgery
  Surgery may be needed for coronary and peripheral vascular diseases. Procedures that may be required are coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) and peripheral vascular bypass surgery.

Support and advice for families

In patients who have a heart attack before age 55, Mayo Clinic offers support and advice for family members regarding preventive measures and medical advice on screening for cardiovascular diseases.

Preventive measures
Family members can obtain educational material and resources through Mayo Clinic to support their family member in reducing the risks of heart disease, such as adopting lifestyle changes to eat heart healthy foods and exercise.

Medical advice on testing
Based on the patient's novel risk factors, the cardiologist consulting with the patient may be able to advise on whether the patient's children or siblings would benefit from testing for novel risk factors. Research has indicated that these novel risk factors are genetically passed along from parent to child.