EnlargeAbout the PLAC Test
The PLAC® Test for Lp-PLA2 is the only blood test cleared by the FDA to aid in assessing risk for both coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis.
Early detection and more aggressive treatment can help prevent these cardiovascular events.
- The PLAC Test measures Lp-PLA2 (lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2), a vascular-specific inflammatory enzyme implicated in the formation of rupture-prone plaque. It is plaque rupture and thrombosis, not stenosis, that cause the majority of cardiac events.
- 50% of cardiovascular events strike in patients with unremarkable lipid levels, highlighting the prevalence of hidden cardiovascular risk.
- A substantial body of evidence including over 50 studies and abstracts in peer-reviewed journals and conferences support Lp-PLA2 as a cardiovascular risk marker that provides new information, over and above traditional risk factors.
- Consistent with ATP III guidelines, the PLAC Test should be used as an adjunct to traditional risk factor assessment to identify which moderate or high risk patients, as initially assessed by traditional risk factors, may actually be at higher risk. A decision algorithm has been developed to help you see how incorporating the PLAC Test into your clinical practice may help save lives.
- An elevated PLAC Test may indicate a need for more aggressive therapy, including treatment to lower LDL-C goals. Lipid lowering therapies, including statins, are proven to reduce cardiovascular events regardless of baseline LDL-C levels.
- The PLAC Test is the only blood test cleared by the FDA to aid in assessing risk for both coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis. Since LDL has proven not to be a reliable predictor of stroke, the PLAC Test addresses this unmet clinical need.
- As of 2007, the PLAC Test is covered by Medicare at $47.43 and by a growing number of private payers. Currently, over 100 million Americans are covered for the PLAC Test. However, patients may be required to pay out-of-pocket – a small investment in their future health.