Professor Riyaz Patel

• Specialty: consultant cardiologist and professor of cardiology with particular expertise in preventive cardiology, lipid management and cardiac CT

• Conditions seen: high cholesterol, including cholesterol that has been difficult to treat; statin intolerance; familial hypercholesterolaemia; raised lipoprotein(a); coronary artery disease and angina; heart attacks and the prevention of further events; premature (early-onset) heart attacks; family history of heart attacks at a young age; high or unexplained cardiovascular risk; raised blood pressure; valve disease, including aortic stenosis; carotid artery stenosis; endocarditis

• Tests, treatments and procedures: comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment, advanced lipid and cholesterol testing including lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein B, coronary calcium scoring, CT coronary angiography, polygenic (genetic) risk assessment, genetic testing for familial hypercholesterolaemia and family cascade screening, echocardiogram, bubble echocardiogram, exercise and dobutamine stress echocardiography, exercise tolerance test, electrocardiogram (ECG), continuous ambulatory ECG monitoring, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, management of statin intolerance, injectable lipid-lowering therapies including inclisiran, blood pressure, weight and metabolic risk management, and second opinions

• Often consulted by patients with: chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, dizziness or blackouts, an abnormal cholesterol result or calcium score found on a health check, or a family history of heart attacks at a young age

• Patient ages seen: 18+

• Also: tenured professor of cardiology at University College London; director of the UCL Centre for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention; founder of the cardiovascular prevention and lipids services at the Barts Heart Centre; senior topic advisor to NICE for its 2023 guideline on cardiovascular risk and lipid modification; over 25 years of clinical experience

• Languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati

Professor Riyaz Patel is a consultant cardiologist at Welbeck's Heart Health centre in London, specialising in preventive cardiology, lipid management and advanced cardiac imaging, with particular expertise in the genetics of coronary heart disease. He sees people with coronary artery disease who want to reduce their risk of further heart problems, as well as those who are otherwise well but concerned about their heart health, particularly if they have a family history of early heart attacks. He also helps patients with high cholesterol that has proved difficult to manage, including statin intolerance, very high LDL cholesterol, raised lipoprotein(a) and familial hypercholesterolaemia, an inherited cause of high cholesterol.

With over 25 years of clinical experience, his wider practice includes chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, high blood pressure and heart valve disease and he also offers investigations including echocardiography, stress echocardiography, ECG and ambulatory heart rhythm and blood pressure monitoring.

Professor Patel takes a personalised approach to cardiovascular risk assessment, combining medical and family history with advanced screening and, where appropriate, coronary calcium scoring or CT coronary angiography. He also offers  CaRi-Plaque analysis, which uses advanced CT imaging technology to assess plaque build-up in the coronary arteries and provide additional information about cardiovascular risk. His expertise in cardiovascular genetics allows him to offer polygenic risk assessment, which examines how multiple genetic variations influence a person's risk of heart disease, alongside genetic testing for inherited cholesterol disorders. Where an inherited condition is identified, screening can be arranged for family members.

Treatment plans focus on reducing all modifiable risk factors, including cholesterol, blood pressure, weight and metabolic health, using the full range of modern treatments, including injectable lipid-lowering therapies such as inclisiran.

Alongside his private practice, Professor Patel is a consultant cardiologist at Barts Health and University College London Hospitals NHS Trusts. He established the cardiovascular prevention and lipid services at Barts Heart Centre and is a professor of cardiology at University College London, where he directs the UCL Centre for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention. He also leads cardiovascular prevention strategy for the NHS North London Cardiology Operational Delivery Network.

Professor Patel is internationally recognised for his work in cardiovascular prevention and genetics, combining clinical expertise with research into why heart disease develops and how further heart attacks can be prevented. He founded GENIUS-CHD, an international consortium of 60 studies investigating why some patients experience further heart attacks despite treatment, and is a UK lead and published investigator in research into gene-editing treatments designed to lower cholesterol. He also authored a European Society of Cardiology consensus statement on the use of polygenic risk scores in cardiovascular care.

His work has helped inform national and international clinical guidance, including serving as senior topic advisor to NICE for its 2023 cardiovascular risk and lipid management guideline, reviewing European Society of Cardiology guidelines on cholesterol management and cardiovascular prevention, and serving on the British Cardiovascular Society Guidelines and Practice Committee.