The screening of families for an inherited cholesterol disorder is expected to endorse in UK. It recommends that children of those people who have familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) will be tested by the age of 10.
In UK, familial hypercholesterolaemia affects one out of every 500 people and it’s only 20% cases have been diagnosed yet.
The risk of inheriting this disorder is almost 50% in siblings and children of people with FH.
FH causes unusual high levels of cholesterol from birth and it often goes without any notice until an individual’s 30s or 40s and then the first symptom appears as heart attack.
But, if FH is identified, it can be controlled by using cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, diet and lifestyle.
In UK, two types of statin have been licensed for use in children with FH.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is going to introduce of cascade testing or family screening.
If a person is diagnosed with FH, the other members of the family would also be tested as there are chances that one or two of them would have inherited the disorder. DNA and cholesterol testes from blood samples would be included in that screening.
According to Dr Dermot Neely from Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, “It is urgent to identify FH as it is essential to treat children early to avoid heart attacks in their adulthood.”
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