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Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Improving Outcomes with Newer Agents

Received: 23 September 2020    Accepted: 15 October 2020    Published: 16 November 2020
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Abstract

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is one of the commonest autosomal dominant genetic disorders which affects lipoprotein metabolism in the body, causing thereby severe hypercholesterolemia, mainly contributed by high level of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc). This causes polyvascular premature atherosclerosis with significant mortality, especially in the homozygous form (HoFH), where affected persons die in their teens. There are well developed diagnostic criteria for FH but the index of suspicion of the physician needs to be high to detect heterozygous FH. As the blood LDLc values are very high, even the highest doses of statins cannot bring down the levels to optimum. Life style management should also be rigorously implemented. Ezetimibe imparts some extra 10 to 15% reduction of LDLc on top of maximally tolerated dose of statins. PCSK9I agents are recently approved for FH. They reduce LDLc further by 30-50%. The small interfering RNA, inclisiran, reduces LDLc by almost 60% and has shown clinical benefit in FH patients. Many other newer agents are in the pipe line of development. In extreme cases, plasmapheresis is life saving, but difficult to adopt as a regular long term treatment. Often the absolute target of LDLc level is not achieved even with all available measures, and a more than 50% reduction from the baseline value is all that can be attained. Early diagnosis by screening of first degree relatives of the index case helps to attain long term clinical benefit.

Published in American Journal of Internal Medicine (Volume 8, Issue 6)

This article belongs to the Special Issue Dyslipidemia: Flash Back and Vision Ahead

DOI 10.11648/j.ajim.20200806.17
Page(s) 279-284
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Familial Hypercholesterolemia, Premature Polyvascular Atherosclerotic Disease, Statin, Ezetimibe, PCSK9I, Inclisiran

References
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[3] Goldstein JL, Brown MS. Binding and degradation of low density lipoproteins by cultured human fibroblasts. Comparison of cells from a normal subject and from a patient with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. J Biol Chem 1974; 249: 5153-62.
[4] Goldstein JL, Hobbs HH, Brown MS. Familial hypercholesterolemia. The metabolic and molecular bases of inherited disease. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, Medical Publishing Division; 2000. pp. 2863-913.
[5] Raal FJ, Santos RD. Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: Current perspectives on diagnosis and treatment. Atherosclerosis 2012; 223: 262-8.
[6] Risk of fatal coronary heart disease in familial hypercholesterolaemia. Scientific Steering Committee on behalf of the Simon Broome Register Group. BMJ1991; 303: 893-6.
[7] Williams RR, Hunt SC, Schumacher MC, et al. Diagnosing heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia using new practical criteria validated by molecular genetics. Am J Cardiol1993; 72: 171-6.
[8] Civeira F; International Panel on Management of Familial Hypercholesterolemia. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Atherosclerosis 2004; 173: 55-68.
[9] Daniels SR, Gidding SS, de Ferranti SD; National Lipid Association Expert Panel on Familial Hypercholesterolemia. Pediatric aspects of familial hypercholesterolemias: Recommendations from the National Lipid Association Expert Panel on Familial Hypercholesterolemia. J Clin Lipidol 2011; 5 (3Suppl): S30-7.
[10] Descamps OS, Tenoutasse S, Stephenne X, et al. Management of familial hypercholesterolemia in children and young adults: Consensus paper developed by a panel of lipidologists, cardiologists, paediatricians, nutritionists, gastroenterologists, general practitioners and a patient organization. Atherosclerosis 2011; 218: 272-80.
[11] Stein EA, Marais AD, Szamosi T, et al. Colesevelam hydrochloride: Efficacy and safety in pediatric subjects with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. J Pediatr 2010; 156: 231-6. e1-3.
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[14] Rossebø AB, Pedersen TR, Boman K, et al.; SEAS Investigators. Intensive lipid lowering with simvastatin and ezetimibe in aortic stenosis. N Engl J Med 2008; 359: 1343-56.
[15] Cuchel M, Bloedon LT, Szapary PO, et al. Inhibition of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein in familial hypercholesterolemia. N EnglJ Med 2007; 356: 148-56.
[16] Stein EA, Dufour R, Gagne C, et al. Apolipoprotein B synthesis inhibition with mipomersen in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: Results of a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess efficacy and safety as add-on therapy in patients with coronary artery disease. Circulation 2012; 126: 2283-92.
[17] Abifadel M, Varret M, Rab`es J-P, et al. 2003. Mutations in PCSK9 cause autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia. Nat. Genet. 34 (2): 154–56.
[18] Ray KK, Landmesser U, Leiter LA, et al. 2017. Inclisiran in patients at high cardiovascular risk with elevated LDL cholesterol. N. Engl. J. Med. 376 (15): 1430–40.
[19] Pinkosky SL, Newton RS, Day EA, et al. 2016. Liver-specific ATP-citrate lyase inhibition by bempedoic acid decreases LDL-C and attenuates atherosclerosis. Nat. Commun. 7: 13457.
[20] Tall AR, Rader DJ. 2017. The trials and tribulations of CETP inhibitors. Circ. Res. In press.
[21] Dewey FE, Gusarova V, Dunbar RL, et al. 2017. Genetic and pharmacologic inactivation of ANGPTL3and cardiovascular disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 377 (3): 211–21.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Saumitra Ray, Biswarup Sarkar. (2020). Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Improving Outcomes with Newer Agents. American Journal of Internal Medicine, 8(6), 279-284. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20200806.17

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    ACS Style

    Saumitra Ray; Biswarup Sarkar. Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Improving Outcomes with Newer Agents. Am. J. Intern. Med. 2020, 8(6), 279-284. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20200806.17

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    AMA Style

    Saumitra Ray, Biswarup Sarkar. Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Improving Outcomes with Newer Agents. Am J Intern Med. 2020;8(6):279-284. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20200806.17

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajim.20200806.17,
      author = {Saumitra Ray and Biswarup Sarkar},
      title = {Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Improving Outcomes with Newer Agents},
      journal = {American Journal of Internal Medicine},
      volume = {8},
      number = {6},
      pages = {279-284},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajim.20200806.17},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20200806.17},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajim.20200806.17},
      abstract = {Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is one of the commonest autosomal dominant genetic disorders which affects lipoprotein metabolism in the body, causing thereby severe hypercholesterolemia, mainly contributed by high level of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc). This causes polyvascular premature atherosclerosis with significant mortality, especially in the homozygous form (HoFH), where affected persons die in their teens. There are well developed diagnostic criteria for FH but the index of suspicion of the physician needs to be high to detect heterozygous FH. As the blood LDLc values are very high, even the highest doses of statins cannot bring down the levels to optimum. Life style management should also be rigorously implemented. Ezetimibe imparts some extra 10 to 15% reduction of LDLc on top of maximally tolerated dose of statins. PCSK9I agents are recently approved for FH. They reduce LDLc further by 30-50%. The small interfering RNA, inclisiran, reduces LDLc by almost 60% and has shown clinical benefit in FH patients. Many other newer agents are in the pipe line of development. In extreme cases, plasmapheresis is life saving, but difficult to adopt as a regular long term treatment. Often the absolute target of LDLc level is not achieved even with all available measures, and a more than 50% reduction from the baseline value is all that can be attained. Early diagnosis by screening of first degree relatives of the index case helps to attain long term clinical benefit.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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    AU  - Saumitra Ray
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    T2  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
    JF  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
    JO  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
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    AB  - Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is one of the commonest autosomal dominant genetic disorders which affects lipoprotein metabolism in the body, causing thereby severe hypercholesterolemia, mainly contributed by high level of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc). This causes polyvascular premature atherosclerosis with significant mortality, especially in the homozygous form (HoFH), where affected persons die in their teens. There are well developed diagnostic criteria for FH but the index of suspicion of the physician needs to be high to detect heterozygous FH. As the blood LDLc values are very high, even the highest doses of statins cannot bring down the levels to optimum. Life style management should also be rigorously implemented. Ezetimibe imparts some extra 10 to 15% reduction of LDLc on top of maximally tolerated dose of statins. PCSK9I agents are recently approved for FH. They reduce LDLc further by 30-50%. The small interfering RNA, inclisiran, reduces LDLc by almost 60% and has shown clinical benefit in FH patients. Many other newer agents are in the pipe line of development. In extreme cases, plasmapheresis is life saving, but difficult to adopt as a regular long term treatment. Often the absolute target of LDLc level is not achieved even with all available measures, and a more than 50% reduction from the baseline value is all that can be attained. Early diagnosis by screening of first degree relatives of the index case helps to attain long term clinical benefit.
    VL  - 8
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Author Information
  • Department of Cardiology, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolkata, India

  • Department of Cardiology, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, India

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