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Census of clinics providing specialist lipid services in the United Kingdom

D Marks1, M Thorogood, J M Farrer

  • 1Public and Environmental Health Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT.

Journal of Public Health (Oxford, England)
|December 16, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Specialist lipid clinic services in the UK are insufficient for identifying familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) patients. Limited resources and patchy provision hinder cascade testing, requiring significant investment to improve FH care.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Family tracing is a cost-effective method for screening familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).
  • Access to index patients via specialist lipid clinics is crucial for successful FH screening programs.
  • This study assesses FH patient numbers and specialist lipid clinic availability in the UK.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report on the number of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) patients in the UK.
  • To evaluate the provision of specialist lipid clinics across the United Kingdom.

Main Methods:

  • Survey of specialist lipid clinics in the UK.
  • Data collection on clinic staffing, services, and patient numbers.
  • Extrapolation of FH patient numbers based on reported data.

Main Results:

  • 144 specialist lipid clinics identified, with many understaffed (e.g., 20% lack a nurse).
  • Only 24% of clinics have computerized records, limiting data accessibility.
  • An estimated 19,794 FH patients are treated in specialist centers, representing only 17% of the predicted number.

Conclusions:

  • Specialist lipid clinic provision in the UK is inadequate and unevenly distributed.
  • Limited computerized data (less than 10% of predicted FH patients) impedes effective cascade testing.
  • Substantial infrastructure investment is necessary for UK specialist lipid clinics to improve FH management.
Abstract

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