FH Foundation Announces Consensus Statement On Genetic Testing For Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)

Multidisciplinary expert panel recommends genetic testing to accelerate diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia, a common but highly underdiagnosed cause of inherited cardiovascular disease

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FH Foundation

Jul 30, 2018, 14:00 ET

PASADENA, Calif., July 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The FH Foundation announced that an important consensus statement on diagnosing familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a common life-threatening genetic condition, was published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Authored by an international panel of 30 cardiovascular, lipid, genetics and advocacy experts and led by the FH Foundation, the statement recommends that genetic testing be offered to diagnose both individuals with FH and their relatives. FH genetic mutations lead to heart disease and stroke risk during the prime of life. Genetic testing of at-risk individuals holds the promise of accelerating the identification of over 30 million people worldwide born with FH, 90 percent of whom are currently undiagnosed, to ensure early treatment.^i,ii