How early is early enough? Treating familial hypercholesterolaemia before risk takes root

Cholesterol-lowering therapy from childhood/adolescence and long-term outcomes in familial hypercholesterolaemia: the SAFEHEART study

European Heart Journal

In the SAFEHEART prospective cohort, investigators assessed long-term outcomes in genetically confirmed familial hypercholesterolaemia among 348 affected children/adolescents, 165 unaffected relatives, and 288 affected parents.

Starting cholesterol-lowering therapy in youth, at a median age of 14.5 years versus 36.1 years in parents, reduced lifelong LDL-C burden and achieved LDL-C levels close to unaffected peers. By age 39, cardiovascular events occurred in 0.3% of treated young FH patients versus 5.2% of affected parents, supporting early detection and treatment.