New Research to Improve Screening for FH

“Cascade screening is key to identifying individuals with FH in the US, but so far few efforts have achieved any success,” said Zahid Ahmad M.D., Associate Professor in the Division of Endocrinology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Our study, which places the Family Heart Foundation as the central coordinator for family screening, begins to address this giant gap in the US. We plan to build on these findings with larger studies that will help establish a successful model for cascade screening in the US.”

“Family screening is one of the greatest opportunities to accelerate diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia and other genetic lipid disorders,” added Katherine Wilemon. “Uncovering and then removing barriers to successful cascade screening in the U.S., is a critical focus of the Family Heart Foundation. We believe our organization can play a centralized role to screen and connect family members to resources to improve care. This latest research is just one step that the Family Heart Foundation is taking to solve this challenge.”