The National Lipid Association (NLA) last week launched its campaign (FH its Relative. http://www.lipid.org/) to increase awareness and treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH). It affects one in 500 in the population and is the most prevalent monogenic disorder.
Fifty percent of males with FH will have CHD by age 40 and 30% of females by age 50. It is estimated that only 20% of the 600,000 affected individuals in the US have been identified and only a fraction are appropriately treated. It is estimated that 10 million worldwide have FH.
The NLA assembled an expert panel of Lipidologists to come up with recommendations for the identification, diagnosis and treatment of FH in adults and children. Dr. Matt Ito was given the honor to chair the treatment recommendations of adult (NLA Expert Panel FH Treatment of Adults JCL 2011). The Panel presented their recommendations last week at the NLA Scientific Session in NYC last week.