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Published on: September 15, 2018
Managing homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia from cradle to grave
1Metabolic Medicine, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK.
Insights
Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) presents severe aortic root atherosclerosis, risking early death. Advanced treatments including lipoprotein apheresis and novel drugs offer improved LDL cholesterol reduction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Genetics
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a genetic disorder causing high LDL cholesterol.
- Homozygous FH (HoFH) represents a severe form with significant clinical implications.
Observation:
- Aortic root atherosclerosis is a common and life-threatening manifestation in HoFH.
- Patients with receptor-negative mutations, whether homozygous or compound heterozygous, face the highest risk.
Findings:
- Standard treatments like statins and ezetimibe slow, but do not halt, atherosclerotic progression.
- Lipoprotein apheresis is a key management strategy for severe HoFH.
Implications:
- Novel therapies such as lomitapide and evolocumab show promise in further reducing LDL cholesterol.
- Aggressive, multi-faceted treatment strategies are crucial for managing HoFH and preventing premature cardiovascular events.
Objective:
To describe the phenotypic and genotypic features and management of clinically homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).
Methods:
An analysis of current knowledge based on personal experience and published evidence.
Results:
Atherosclerotic involvement of the aortic root is common in homozygous FH and can cause death before age 5. Receptor negative patients are at greatest risk, irrespective of whether they have identical mutations (homozygous) or dissimilar mutations (compound heterozygous).
Conclusions:
Lipoprotein apheresis combined with high dose statin and ezetimibe slows but does not arrest progression of atherosclerosis. Adjunctive use of novel compounds such as lomitapide and evolocumab should facilitate achieving the latter objective by enhancing the reduction in LDL cholesterol.
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