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Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)
What is Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)?
- FH is a genetic condition that causes high LDL-c (bad cholesterol) level since birth.
- If left untreated, FH can lead to higher risk of early cardiac diseases.
- If a parent has FH, each child has a 50% chance of inheriting it.
Based on global statistics, Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) affects 1 in 300 people, which translates to approximately 20,000 patients in Singapore. However, more than 90% are unaware of this condition and remain undiagnosed!
Early diagnosis can allow affected individuals and their family members to start treatment early and ultimately reduce the risk of getting early heart attack.
FH leads to early heart disease, the leading cause of death in the Singapore.
If left untreated, men with FH have 50% risk of having heart disease by age of 50; women with FH have 30% risk of having heart disease by age of 60.
How do I know if I have FH?
| FH Diagnosis | |
Very high LDL-c levels:
Medical History:
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Family History: Family history of early coronary artery diseases (CAD), high cholesterol levels or stroke. |
FH Genetic Screening: You may ask your doctor to refer to FHCARE for genetic testing if you are suitable. Alternatively, you can approach FHCARE to screen for FH. |
Physical Signs of FH:
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Family Screening & Early Treatment
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You will be referred to FHCARE Coordinators for FH Screening through a blood test. |
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If the genetic test is positive, the coordinators will contact you to screen your family members for FH. | |
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Starting treatment early to lower cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease is an important step in managing FH. | |
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If you have high cholesterol and test positive for FH, a higher dosage of medication may be required. | |
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Lifestyle changes such as healthy diet, exercise and medication can help to reduce the risk of heart attack. | |
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Early diagnosis and treatment are available. Take action now and seek medical advice. | |
FHCARE stands for Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Case identification, Assessment and Reduction of Adverse Events.
We are a team which includes Cardiologists and Endocrinologists from various hospitals in Singapore, who focus on identification and treatment of FH patients. Through education and advocacy, our team aims for early detection to improve prognosis and quality of life for FH patients. We also offer cascade screening for the family members of FH patients.
FHCARE Team
Tel: 6602 2346 / 6807 8212
Email: cholesterol.info@ktph.com.sg
| For patients:
By sending us your personal information, you are deemed to have consented for our study team to contact and invite you to participate in our clinical trials / research. Collection, use and disclosure of your personal data shall be in accordance with our privacy policy, which is available at www.ktph.com.sg/pdpa. |
For physician:
Pleasure ensure that patient consent for collection, use and disclosure of his/her information has been obtained and documented, according to PDPA requirement. Our study team will contact you/patient and the information collected will be kept confidential. This study is approved by NHG Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB 2015/00249) and the study team follows all DSRB guidelines to protect personal health information. |
