FAMILIAL HYPERCHOLESTEROLAEMIA - A DIAGNOSIS THAT EVERY PLASTIC SURGEON CAN EXPERIENCE.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is the most common autosomal dominant inheritable disease caused by a defective catabolism of LDL particles. Their subsequent accumulation in circulation accelerates atherosclerotic vascular disease. Untreated FH increases the risk of premature manifestation of atherosclerosis (myocardial infarction - MI- or stroke); it is known that homozygous patients, if not adequately treated, are usually affected by atherothrombotic complications of the underlying disease before 20 years of age and often do not live longer than 30 years. Patients with FH are asymptomatic for a long period of time; their elevated blood lipid levels are often a random laboratory finding. The cardiovascular complications (MI or stroke) may be the primary manifestation of this disease. Clinical signs (xanthomas, xanthelasma or arcus corneae lipoides) occur rarely in these patients but are pathognomic, so at least basal awareness of these findings is necessary. Upon detection of such findings, a diagnostic procedure of FH including blood lipid measuring, careful personal and family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and subsequent referral to GPs or to MEDPED specialist is crucial. MEDPED (Make Early Diagnosis to Prevent Early Deaths in MEDical PEDigrees) project associates physicians specializing in patients with severe lipid metabolism disorders including FH. Treatment is based on statins, often in combination with ezetimibe. A great benefit in the treatment of these patients was the discovery of PCSK9 inhibitors, which are very effective and represent a therapeutic option especially for patients with very severe dyslipidaemia or with intolerance of statin therapy. The FH awareness of a plastic surgeon as a first-contact physician, who may be confronted with typical skin or eye manifestations of FH, is essential for the early detection of FH patients, who can then be internally examined and followed-up.

Diagnosis of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia on First Sight? The Role of the Ophthalmologist in Identifying Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is the most common congenital metabolic disorder characterised by the accumulation of lipid particles in the vascular wall thereby leading to premature development of atherosclerosis. It is a serious condition that, if left untreated, can lead to premature death in a cardiovascular event already in the third or fourth decade of life. According to recent studies, the frequency of heterozygotes in the general population is 1: 250, suggesting that there may be up to 40,000 of these patients in the Czech Republic alone. In terms of capturing FH, the Czech Republic belongs to the most successful countries in the world; however, most patients remain undiagnosed. It is essential that these individuals be actively sought for and manifestation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevented. There is a therapeutic option that is effective, safe and affordable. The MedPed (Make early diagnosis to Prevent early deaths) project network and a large number of physicians involved in the project represent an effective approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with FH. Even though a large proportion of patients with FH are asymptomatic until the manifestation of CVD, it is possible to diagnose FH using a biochemical examination together with a family history. In some patients, it is also possible to identify clinical signs of the disease. Typical ophthalmologic findings include arcus lipoides corneae and xanthelasma palpebrarum. While these are non-specific symptoms, especially if they occur in patients under 50 years of age, they should prompt examination of lipid spectrum parameters. Every patient with (or suspected) familial hypercholesterolaemia should be referred to one of the workplaces of the MedPed project network. Key words: familial hypercholesterolaemia, MedPed, atherosclerosis, xanthelasma palpebrarum, arcus lipoides corneae.

Familial hypercholesterolemia in the Czech Republic: more than 17 years of systematic screening within the MedPed project.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the most common autosomal dominant disorder. It is characterized by a decrease in LDL cholesterol catabolism and an early clinical manifestation of atherosclerotic vessel damage. The aim of the MedPed (Make early diagnosis to Prevent early deaths) project is an early diagnosis of FH patients in order to profit from early treatment and prevent cardiovascular events. Till November 30, 2016 The Czech National MedPed Database has registered 7,001 FH patients from 5,223 different families that is 17.4 % of expected patients in the Czech Republic considering 1:250 FH prevalence. The improvement in diagnostic accuracy, patient cooperation and above all familial cascade screening is enabled by FH mutation detection using the modern technology of next-generation sequencing. FH still remain undiagnosed even though the Czech Republic is one of the most successful countries with respect to FH detection. The opportunities of international collaboration and experience sharing within international programs (e.g. EAS FHSC, ScreenPro FH etc.) will improve the detection of FH patients in the future and enable even more accessible and accurate genetic diagnostics.

ScreenPro FH: from the Czech MedPed to international collaboration. ScreenPro FH is a participating project of the EAS-FHCS.

This article describes the evolution of our understanding of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in the Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe (CESE) region, and the dissemination of this understanding to other countries. Using the ScreenPro FH project as an example, we would like to illustrate the progression from national objectives, to regional networking and, finally, to international collaboration via the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) project under the leadership of the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS). It is essential to improve our ability to diagnose FH. In this regard, the EAS and its FHSC project must be commended for their educational and organizational activities which, above all, are dedicated to the creation of a global FH patient registry. In the CESE region, FH diagnostics and treatment situation are markedly different than in Western Europe or North America. Since the Czech MedPed project (Make Early Diagnoses to Prevent Early Deaths in Medical Pedigrees) has been so successful (with results not only comparable to, but, for some parameters, even surpassing the results of many Western countries) we decided to apply the Czech experience to the CESE region. Thus, the ScreenPro FH project was created. The aim of ScreenPro FH is to create a specialist network in the CESE region. The primary objective of the ScreenPro FH project was to dramatically reduce the number of premature deaths due to clinical complications of atherosclerosis in FH patients. At present, ScreenPro FH comprises 18 member countries with a total population of 500,000,000; which, in terms of the FH population, represents 1-2 million patients.