VERY HIGH CHOLESTEROL

FAMILIAL HYPERLIPIDEMIA – A JOKER IN THE DECK

We are not all biologically alike. The majority of what we hear today unfortunately assumes that we are.

One in very roughly 300 of us in the states have a gene that results in heart disease at a rapid rate. Early disability and death are common if this is the case. The good news is recently there is a valid treatment for this otherwise devastating disorder.

Really, there is nothing fair about it. But then, those with this disorder almost certainly have other genes and characteristics that are entirely fortunate.  

We enjoy a card game and don’t intend to be flippant about this problem, but clearly if one is dealt this card, action is needed. It would be a great card to pass to the player on our left, but then again that is not an option here.

Familial hyperlipidemia (FH), a problem with chromosome 19, results in persistent major increase in bad cholesterol (LDL.) Like many biological situations, it gets very complex and wide ranges of values are confusing. However, if cholesterol is over 280 or LDL over 190, FH may be present. Checking this out is a great choice.   

Presently, 90% of individuals with FH have not been diagnosed.  

We truly enjoy the humor and c’est la vie attitudes we have noted in some with this disorder. Our other thought, however, is that avoiding that Egyptian river known as denial and taking a few serious moments in pursuing this are more than worth it.

Many treatments can help. A new class of medications, PCSK9 inhibitors, are an option and should be carefully considered.

Contact the FH website to get informed. Start to fight this killer with the counsel of your health care professional.

Thefhfoundation.org

Wald, David S.; Bestwick, Jonathan P.; Morris, Joan K.; Whyte, Ken; Jenkins, Lucy; Wald, Nicholas J. (2016). “Child–Parent Familial Hypercholesterolemia Screening in Primary Care”. New England Journal of Medicine375 (17): 1628–1637. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa160277