You test your cholesterol levels. But what about lipoprotein(a)?

Male doctor showing a female patient something on a tablet in his office (Credit: Getty Images)

Sandra Revill Tremulis was a healthy 39-year-old who taught fitness classes and had recently run a marathon when extreme fatigue and chest tingling drove her to see a cardiologist. The doctor discovered she had 95% blockage in one of her coronary arteries and that a heart attack was imminent. And though her own father had died of a heart attack at 50, she was blindsided, believing she was “doing everything right” to stay healthy. 

Further bloodwork revealed the culprit: high levels of a particle called lipoprotein(a) in her arteries. That wake-up call, in 2003, prompted her to become an expert on the condition, starting a non-profit foundation dedicated to research and education (though it dissolved in 2020).