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Last Posted: Apr 19, 2024
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Family cascade screening for equitable identification of familial hypercholesterolemia: study protocol for a hybrid effectiveness-implementation type III randomized controlled trial

From the abstract: " Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a heritable disorder affecting 1.3 million individuals in the USA. Eighty percent of people with FH are undiagnosed, particularly minoritized populations including Black or African American people, Asian or Asian American people, and women across racial groups. Family cascade screening is an evidence-based practice that can increase diagnosis and improve health outcomes but is rarely implemented in routine practice, representing an important care gap. In pilot work, we leveraged best practices from behavioral economics and implementation science—including mixed-methods contextual inquiry with clinicians, patients, and health system constituents—to co-design two patient-facing implementation strategies to address this care gap..."

Reproductive Carrier Screening: Identifying Families at Risk for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in the United States.
Vivienne Souter et al. Circ Genom Precis Med 2024 3 e004457

From the abstract: "Familial hypercholesterolemia is a treatable genetic condition but remains underdiagnosed. We reviewed the frequency of pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in the LDLR gene in female individuals receiving reproductive carrier screening. This retrospective observational study included samples from female patients (aged 18–55 years) receiving a 274-gene carrier screening panel. P/LP LDLR variants were identified in 283 samples (1 in 324). No patients were identified with >1 P/LP variant. LDLR carrier frequency was higher in Asian (1 in 191 [95% CI, 1 in 142–258]) compared with White (1 in 417 [95% CI, 1 in 326–533]; P<0.001) or Black groups (1 in 508 [95% CI, 1 in 284–910]; P=0.004). "

Heart Disease Risk Higher with Genetic Variant Plus Even Slightly Elevated Cholesterol
Inside Precision Medicine, February 2, 2023

From the article: " Even people with moderately elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) have higher risk of heart disease if they also had a variant for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), according to new research. The long-term study included over 20,000 patients and reinforces the value of genetic testing for this condition."

Familial Hypercholesterolemia Variant and Cardiovascular Risk in Individuals With Elevated Cholesterol
Y Zhang et al, JAMA Cardio, January 31, 2023

From the abstract: "How do familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) genetic variants modify coronary heart disease (CHD) risk among adults with moderate (LDL-C 130-189 mg/dL) and severe (LDL-C=190 mg/dL) hypercholesterolemia? In this pooled cohort study of 21?426 participants followed up with for a median of 18 years, FH variants were associated with a 2-fold higher CHD risk, even among individuals with moderately elevated LDL-C. The increased CHD risk appeared to be largely explained by the substantially higher lifetime cumulative LDL-C exposure in those with an FH variant vs those without. The findings suggest that genetic testing for FH may help refine risk stratification beyond LDL-C alone; clinical research is needed to assess the value of adding genetic testing to traditional phenotypic FH screening. "


Disclaimer: Articles listed in the Public Health Genomics and Precision Health Knowledge Base are selected by the CDC Office of Public Health Genomics to provide current awareness of the literature and news. Inclusion in the update does not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor does it imply endorsement of the article's methods or findings. CDC and DHHS assume no responsibility for the factual accuracy of the items presented. The selection, omission, or content of items does not imply any endorsement or other position taken by CDC or DHHS. Opinion, findings and conclusions expressed by the original authors of items included in the update, or persons quoted therein, are strictly their own and are in no way meant to represent the opinion or views of CDC or DHHS. References to publications, news sources, and non-CDC Websites are provided solely for informational purposes and do not imply endorsement by CDC or DHHS.

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