title: Treatment of familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents in the last three decades.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study evaluated the effectiveness of long-term intensive lipid-lowering therapy in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The charts of 89 children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia among ∼1000 patients treated from 1974 to 2008 were reviewed. Familial hypercholesterolaemia was defined as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level >90th percentile in individuals with a history of familial hypercholesterolaemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 89 patients, 51% were male; the mean age at diagnosis was 8 ± 4 years, and the mean follow-up was 13 ± 8 years. Baseline and most recent low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (mg/dl) under treatment were 250 ± 50 and 142 ± 49, respectively, reduced 43% from baseline (p < 0.0001). At the most recent visit, 39 patients received statin monotherapy, mainly atorvastatin or rosuvastatin, and 50 (56%) patients received combination therapy, mainly vytorin or rosuvastain/ezetimibe, 15 patients were >30 years of age, and none developed symptomatic cardiovascular disease or needed revascularisation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term statin-based therapy can reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in most children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia and decrease cardiovascular risk significantly.
authors: 1 Department of Medicine, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah-Tikva and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors: Avishay
authors: A
authors: Elis
authors: 2 Medpace Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America.
authors: Rong
authors: R
authors: Zhou
authors: 3 Metabolic & Atherosclerosis Research Center and Cholesterol Treatment Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America.
authors: Evan A
authors: EA
authors: Stein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006938:Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL