25.01.11
Simple heart checks could save lives
The Royal College of Physicians says 100,000 people are at risk from an undiagnosed heart condition not being routinely tested for.
Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), which is inherited, causes high levels of LDL cholesterol resulting in early heart disease.
The RCP said about half of men with FH, if untreated, will have developed heart disease by the age of 55 years, and roughly one third of women by the age of 60.
But importantly, half of their brothers, sisters and children will be similarly affected but unaware. Early treatment with statins and lifestyle changes have been shown to reduce risk and improve life expectancy to normal, so early identification is crucial as it can save lives, prevent disease, and mean considerable savings for the NHS in the long-term.
The RCP, British Heart Foundation, HEART UK and the Cardiac Network Co-ordinating Group, Wales funded an audit of 2,324 adults and 147 children at 122 sites to examine standards of care.
The study, carried out by the RCP Clinical Standards Department, found that while care for identified patients was generally good, very few families were being systematically genetically screened, and there were not enough facilities for diagnosing and treating children with FH in the right care settings.
Professor Steve Humphries, FH Audit Project Director and Director of the Centre for Cardiovascular Genetics, British Heart Foundation Laboratories, London, said: “In the UK I estimate that roughly one undiagnosed FH patient a day suffers a coronary event that could be prevented if funding for these cost-effective measures were available.”
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