title: Documenting family history in children with hypercholesterolaemia: A lost opportunity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether information about a family history of hypercholesterolaemia or early cardiovascular disease was documented by paediatricians in children and adolescents with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review of all children with a LDL-cholesterol level ≥95th percentile (3.4 mmol/L) and ≥99th percentile (3.8 mmol/L) at a tertiary paediatric hospital in 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 86 children with a LDL-cholesterol level ≥3.4 mmol/L, only 18 (20.9%) had documentation of a family history of hypercholesterolaemia or early cardiovascular disease. In those 18, 13 (72.2%) had a family history of hypercholesterolaemia and 11 (61.1%) a family history of early cardiovascular disease. Increasing the LDL-cholesterol cut-off level to ≥3.8 mmol/L (n = 46) did not improve documentation of a family history (9/46, 19.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with elevated LDL-cholesterol levels, paediatricians rarely document a positive or negative family history of hypercholesterolaemia or early cardiovascular disease. This represents a lost opportunity to diagnose children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Paediatrics, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Tharmarajah
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sorubarajan
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre Network, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Barry D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital Network, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.|School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Burnett
authors.affiliation: Department of General Paediatrics, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004282:Documentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006938:Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010372:Pediatrics; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014904:Western Australia
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL
keywords: cardiovascular disease; children; familial hypercholesterolaemia; family history