The new recommendations for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of adults with FH were drawn up by a committee organized by the Foundation of the NLA (FNLA), and after a thorough review of the published evidence, the first recommendation of the FNLA committee was that all individuals who are identified with FH should be enrolled in a strategically organized and administered treatment protocol, and for almost all FH patients this will mean a program of drug therapy on top of a background of lifestyle therapy.
The rationale for this protocol is that individuals with FH have a very high lifetime risk of premature onset of coronary heart disease (CHD) and a very high risk of developing CHD events (angina, myocardial infarction [MI], need for revascularization, etc.), which means that early initiation of drug treatment is beneficial. Moreover the committee found that long-term drug treatment, on top of lifestyle modification, reverts the excess risk engendered by the genetic defect of FH to the point that the risk level approaches that of the general population. However, the committee noted in its first recommendation that it is also true since FH is a genetic disorder, not merely a disease of poor lifestyle choices, FH will require commitment to a lifelong treatment regimen, with regular follow-ups. J Clin Lipidol. 2011; 5(6).
