#541 A Walk Through the 2026 Lipid Management Guidelines

Matthew Watto (0:00)

Hey, before we get to the show, I wanted to remind you to check out our Patreon at patreon.com/curbsiders. If you haven't signed up yet, sign up now to get ad-free episodes, twice monthly bonus episodes, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff at patreon.com/curbsiders.

Paul, my cardiologist told me my lipid panel looks like a suicide note written in triglycerides.

Paul Williams (0:28)

All right, just a dark sentence, not really a joke so much.

Matthew Watto (0:34)

Paul, I view my high LDL cholesterol as an aggressive early retirement plan.

Paul Williams (0:42)

Okay.

Matthew Watto (0:44)

It keeps going from there. I'm going to stop.

Paul Williams (0:46)

Are these just all jokes about you dying? Is that what Google has gone for you?

Matthew Watto (0:51)

I said it was okay to make them dark, and I guess that's where it went.

Paul Williams (0:57)

Great.

Matthew Watto (0:57)

Well, anyway.

Daniel Edmundowicz (1:02)

The Curbsiders Podcast is for entertainment, education, and information purposes only, and the topics discussed should not be used solely to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases or conditions.

Paul Williams (1:08)

Furthermore, the views and statements expressed on this podcast are solely those of those, and should not be interpreted to reflect official policy or position of any entity, aside from possibly cash like more possible and affiliate outreach programs. If indeed, there are any, in fact, there are none.

Daniel Edmundowicz (1:17)

Pretty much, we are responsible if you screw up. You should always do your own homework, and let us know if it works.

Matthew Watto (1:27)

Welcome back to The Curbsiders. I'm Dr. Matthew Frank Watto, here with my great friend, America's primary care physician, and lipid enthousiologist. I don't think that's a word, Paul.

Paul Williams (1:42)

Nope, should be though.

Matthew Watto (1:44)

And lipid enthusiast, Dr. Paul Nelson Williams.

Paul Williams (1:47)

Hey, Paul.

I think I prefer enthousiologist to the primary care, or PCP, or whatever it is we are calling ourselves. How are you?

Matthew Watto (1:54)

Paul, I'm doing well. This was a great episode. We talked about lipids with Dr. Dan Edmundowicz. And Paul, I learned a lot. I think the audience is going to really like this one. And before you introduce our wonderful co-host and producer, what is it that we do on Curbsiders?

Deb Gorth (2:12)

Sure.

Paul Williams (2:13)

As a reminder, Matt, we are the Internal Medicine Podcast. We use expert interviews during your clinical pearls and practice changing knowledge. As you mentioned, we are joined by producer, extraordinaire and co-host for the night, Dr. Deb Gorth.

Dr. Gorth, how are you?

Deb Gorth (2:26)

I'm doing great, guys.

We have a fantastic conversation coming up with our guest, Dr. Edmundowicz. I don't know how you guys call him Dan. He is a cardiologist, a preventive cardiology specialist, and a lipid enthusiast who has spent much of his career helping clinicians navigate the world of cholesterol management. He's currently the professor and chair of medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, and he is a senior associate dean for clinical affairs and faculty success. In this episode, he teaches us all about what we need to know about cholesterol, coordinated calcium scores, and why normal lipid levels are not always good enough. So without further ado, let's get to it.

Matthew Watto (3:09)

And a reminder that this and most episodes will be available for CME credit for all health professionals through vcuhealthatcurbsiders.vcuhealth.org. Dan, we are so glad to make this happen. I know we've tried once before and we finally got you, and we're really excited to talk. The audience is excited to learn about what is a hobby or interest that you currently enjoy outside of medicine?

Daniel Edmundowicz (3:36)

Well, first of all, thanks so much for having me.

The reputation of this podcast precedes it, and you guys do such a fantastic job. So I really appreciate it and I'm honored to be here. So I would say that the hobby that I enjoy most, believe it or not, is fishing. Now, that's very different than catching, but fishing is something that I love to do in free time, out on the boat and just kind of living within the moment. So.

Matthew Watto (4:05)

Fantastic. So this is, you're fishing in a lake or in the ocean?

Daniel Edmundowicz (4:11)

So it's actually down in South Jersey, off the beach in a boat, actually. So I do a lot of inland fishing, founder. And as my wife will tell us, the fish fries frequently taste like chicken, but it's fun to get out there. And there's nothing more peaceful than an early morning on the water.