Coronary Artery Disease

A blood test for coronary artery disease is used to assess one's risk of the disease. The test may be ordered if a patient has a family or personal history of heart disease. The test may also be collected if a patient has other risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. The coronary arteries are the primary blood vessels that carry blood to and from the heart. Coronary artery disease normally develops due to plaque build-up, caused by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol - in the coronary arteries. When this plaque builds up, it narrows the coronary arteries and obstructs proper blood flow to the heart. If a coronary artery becomes completely blocked, the blockage can cause a heart attack. The lipoprotein test is a blood test for coronary artery disease that estimates levels of LDL cholesterols that may have attached to a coronary artery - by simply assessing the level of lipoprotein (a) in the blood. Lipoprotein (a) is released into the blood when LDL cholesterol attaches to specific proteins in the body. Results High levels of lipoprotein (a) found in the blood indicate that there are also high levels of LDL cholesterol that have attached to proteins. These proteins may or may not be in the coronary arteries – the test cannot provide information on the location of the LDL cholesterol. If a high level of lipoprotein is found in the blood, more tests need to be done to further assess risk of heart disease. Thank you for browsing our selection of Coronary Artery Disease blood tests and panels. Shop additional Heart Health Tests confidentially and order online without insurance or a doctor's note.