Lipid Blood Test: Vap, Nmr

[goatfarmer]

Does anyone know whether a VAP or NMR test is available in Thailand?

This test breaks down LDL particles into type A, which is claimed to be harmless and type B, which is the kind that is prone to oxidation and atherosclerosis.

I asked at the lab of the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital and they looked at me with blank faces, promised to look into it, took my phone number and that was the last I heard. They are still giving LDL measurements as a single number, which is primitive and could be misleading.

I would be grateful if anyone can answer this question.

[PMNL]

Better stay where you are for the subtype LDL test. Not available as far as I know in Thailand.

More complicated test is sometime just a money making thing, most of health care practitioner still use LDL, HDL, and total chol/HDL to evaluate the treatment and risk od CVD complications.

[goatfarmer]

I see. So your opinion is that it would better stick with the status quo in Thailand, even though it is outdated and could be misleading?

http://www.menshealth.com/health/understanding-cholesterol-and-heart-disease/page/3

"In other words, when you tease apart the subsets of LDL that are preferentially involved in heart disease, total LDL is a less reliable bio-marker. It's like the sniffles that could signal allergies, or the onset of swine flu, or nothing at all. This ambiguity works both ways. Just because you have less of the symptom (statin users take note) doesn't mean you'll have less of the disease. A drop in your total LDL cholesterol might mean nothing at all. A higher LDL cholesterol reading, for that matter, could simply mean you are a healthy person who has learned how to build an amazing sauce out of wine, garlic, shallots, butter, and heavy cream."

[goatfarmer]

I should add that, if your LDL is low, you wouldn't need to worry about the VAP or NMR profile. If it's high, you could find out by the VAP/NMR whether it's high and dangerous or high and benign. If the latter, would you want to be taking drugs to lower it?