Overview of a collaborative global effort to address the burden of familial hypercholesterolaemia

This is an overview of the EAS Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) Studies Collaboration (FHSC) global consortium and registry (established 2015), which broadly addresses the global burden of FH. Eighty-seven National Lead Investigators from 74 countries form this expanding global consortium, and this global registry currently includes pooled data on 70,000 participants from participating countries to facilitate FH surveillance. Published first results from this global registry concluded that FH is diagnosed late, and management of LDL-cholesterol falls below guideline recommendations, and therefore earlier detection of FH and wider use of combination therapy is required. Further FHSC studies will follow on updated data including new countries, participants and variables, and non-DNA genetic information, and on the remaining cohorts in the registry. FHSC cross-sectional collaborative global studies are expected to promote FH detection earlier in life to subsequently initiate early lipid lowering therapy to reduce lifelong exposure to cumulative LDL-cholesterol thus reducing cardiovascular disease risk.