What is the criteria for familial hypercholesterolemia?

What is the criteria for familial hypercholesterolemia?

According to this criterion, definite FH is defined as: total cholesterol higher than 6.7 mmol/L or LDL-C greater than 4.0 mmol/L in a child whose aged under 16 years or total cholesterol greater than 7.5 mmol/L or LDL-C higher than 4.9 mmol/L in an adult (levels either pre-treatment or highest on treatment).

What is the treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia?

The most common treatment for FH is statin drug therapy. Statin drugs work by blocking an enzyme that produces cholesterol in the liver and increases your body’s ability to remove cholesterol from the blood. They can lower your LDL cholesterol levels by 50 percent or more.

Can you live a normal life with familial hypercholesterolemia?

The takeaway FH has no cure, but it’s treatable. Life expectancy with FH is lower without treatment, but the sooner you receive a correct diagnosis and start medication, the better your outlook and life expectancy.

How is HeFH diagnosed?

Blood tests. If your doctor thinks you have HeFH, they’ll do a blood test to check your cholesterol level. With HeFH, your: Total cholesterol level will be over 300 mg/dL. LDL cholesterol level will be over 200 mg/dL.

How do you treat familial hypercholesterolemia?

Familial hypercholesterolemia in almost all cases requires aggressive treatment through a combined approach – medication, low-fat diet, exercise, weight control and not smoking. Familial hypercholesterolemia involves heart-healthy meals, regular exercise to get the blood flowing, controlling your weight and eliminating smoking.

What is the prognosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)?

Prognosis of Patients With Familial Hypercholesterolemia After Acute Coronary Syndromes Patients with FH and ACS have a >2-fold adjusted risk of coronary event recurrence within the first year after discharge than patients without FH despite the widespread use of high-intensity statins.

Does familial hypercholesterolemia have a cure?

It’s a serious condition. Without treatment, men with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia can get heart disease in their 40s, and women can get it in their 50s. There’s no cure, so you’ll need to take drugs and follow a heart-healthy diet throughout your life.

Is there a cure for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia?

There is no cure for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, the most severe form of FH. This extremely rare form of the disease occurs in less than one in a million people, and when an individual has it, they often go through a period of time where they try a number of different treatments before they find a combination of therapies that successfully minimizes their symptoms without unpleasant side effects.