Treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolemia and Other Genetic Dyslipidemias

Despite their inherited nature, familial dyslipidemias show large intra- and interfamilial variability in phenotypic expression, clinical presentations, and levels of abnormalities of serum lipid fractions. Once diagnosed, patients shall be considered at high cardiovascular risk and treated as per secondary prevention National Cholesterol Education Program III guidelines. Comorbidity treatments (ie, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension) are imperative. Lifestyle interventions shall soon be concomitantly followed by lipid-regulating drugs. The major aspects of the above interventions are the following: 1) therapeutic lifestyle change: regular aerobic exercises, conventional low-fat, low-cholesterol, low refined but high complex carbohydrates diet, avoidance of unproven fad diets (ie, Atkins); 2) plant stanols and sterol esters, 3) high-potency statins (eg, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, atorvastatin); 4) addition of nicotinic acid, bile acid binders, fibrates, or ezetimibe pending on the lipid fraction affected; 5) statins are the starting drug of choice with these exceptions: in isolated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, niacin or fibrates may be preferable; in isolated severe hypertriglyceridemic conditions, fibrates or fish oil may be preferable; in children with isolated elevation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, ezetimibe or bile acid binders may be preferable; when serum lipoprotein (a) elevation is the most notable abnormality, niacin may be chosen as the initial drug for its unique effect on this fraction. Plasmapheresis, intestinal shunts, or liver transplantation are to be considered in that order as last resorts if the above fails to accomplish serum lipid level goals.