Abstract

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic condition resulting in severe, lifelong elevations in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and a marked increased risk of early-onset coronary disease. FH is treatable when identified, yet is vastly under-recognized and undertreated. Although the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines on the treatment of cholesterol presented a paradigm shift, we believe that there have been serious oversimplifications, misinterpretations, and erroneous reporting about the current ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines that have contributed to suboptimal care for these subjects. In summary, the ACC/AHA guidelines place tremendous emphasis on the identification of patients with FH, the initiation of high-intensity statin therapy, the need to obtain follow-up lipid values to assess the efficacy and compliance to lifestyle and medical therapy, and the role of nonstatin drugs when needed for optimal care of the individual patient.

View details for Web of Science ID 000359034100024

View details for PubMedID 26043952