You are a Physician's Assistant and you are set to meet with a patient to talk about his cholesterol panel. The patient, Mr. Brown, is a 56 year old male who leads a largely sedentary lifestyle. He has admitted, in a previous visit, that his favorite activity is sitting on the couch and eating snacks while watching sports. He has also expressed concerns that you would try to drastically change his lifestyle (which he does not want to do) if his tests came back high.
The panel that came back on Mr. Brown contains the following results:
Test Result
Triglycerides 145 mg/dL
Cholesterol 210 mg/dL
HDL 33 mg/dL
LDL 160 mg/dL
SHOULD BE IN FIRST PERSON AS YOU TALK TO HIM• Report the results to Mr. Brown - be sure to tell him his exact numbers.
Interpret the results for Mr. Brown - are the results normal? Abnormal?
- What are the normal/abnormal ranges for each test?
- What are triglycerides?
- What is cholesterol?
- What are LDL and HDL?
- Where is cholesterol produced?
- What are the causes of high cholesterol?
- What are the treatments for reducing high cholesterol?
- What are the side effects of medication for treating high cholesterol?
- Do the benefits of lowering cholesterol outweigh the risks of taking medication?
- What options exist for a person to try and reduce his/her cholesterol without taking medication?
- How would you alleviate any fears Mr. Brown may have regarding his condition?
- What recommendations would you make to Mr. Brown knowing his concerns?
- What approach would you take to encourage him to make any necessary lifestyle changes?