Media Contact: Kate Deely Smith (619) 543-6163

UCSD Researchers Study Effects of Cholesterol Lowering
On Prevention of Heart Disease

With heart disease being the leading cause of death among American women, UCSD School of Medicine physicians are researching the effects of lowering high cholesterol – a cause of heart disease.

Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, M.D., and Cynthia A. Stuenkel, M.D., both UCSD Family and Preventive medicine physicians, are participating in BELLES (Beyond Endorsed Lipid Lowering with EBCT Scanning) – a study aimed at measuring the effect of cholesterol lowering on the amount of calcium in your heart, which may be an early sign of heart disease. The EBCT– electron beam computed tomography is a new technique and measures calcium deposits in the heart. EBCT is a simple, painless, non-invasive procedure that takes less than ten minutes.  “It’s exciting that this state-of-the-art technology is being applied to women,” Dr. Stuenkel said.

Eligible volunteers are females between the ages of 55 and 75 who have been post-menopausal for at least one year, have an elevated cholesterol level and are currently not taking any cholesterol-lowering medications.

Study participants in this one-year trial will receive free blood and cholesterol testing, physical exams related to the study, state-of-the-art CT scans to measure coronary artery calcium, and FDA approved cholesterol-lowering medications.  For more information and to enroll, call 858-534-8060.