Familial hypercholesterolemia is related to cardiovascular disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Results from a population-based study

Hypercholesterolemia and inflammation-Cooperative cardiovascular risk factors

BACKGROUND

Maintaining low concentrations of plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) over time decreases the number of LDL particles trapped within the artery wall, slows the progression of atherosclerosis and delays the age at which mature atherosclerotic plaques develop. This substantially reduces the lifetime risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events. In this context, plaque development and vulnerability result not only from lipid accumulation but also from inflammation.

RESULTS

Changes in the composition of immune cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, B cells, mast cells and neutrophils, along with altered cytokine and chemokine release, disrupt the equilibrium between inflammation and anti-inflammatory mechanisms at plaque sites. Considering that it is not a competition between LDLc and inflammation, but instead that they are partners in crime, the present narrative review aims to give an overview of the main inflammatory molecular pathways linked to raised LDLc concentrations and to describe the impact of lipid-lowering approaches on the inflammatory and lipid burden. Although remarkable changes in LDLc are driven by the most recent lipid lowering combinations, the relative reduction in plasma C-reactive protein appears to be independent of the magnitude of LDLc lowering.

CONCLUSION

Identifying clinical biomarkers of inflammation (e.g. interleukin-6) and possible targets for therapy holds promise for monitoring and reducing the ASCVD burden in suitable patients.

Impact of Blood Pressure Management on Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Hypertension has been associated with worse outcomes in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). We aimed to identify the clinical impact of blood pressure management on the development of cardiovascular events. We assessed patients with clinically diagnosed heterozygous FH (n = 1,273, male/female = 614/659) with blood pressure data. We categorized them into 4 groups (group 1: patients without hypertension from baseline to follow-up; group 2: patients without hypertension at baseline but in whom hypertension developed at follow-up; group 3: patients with hypertension at baseline that was well-controlled at follow-up; group 4: patients with hypertension from baseline that was uncontrolled at follow-up). We used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate factors associated with cardiovascular events, including cardiovascular death and any coronary events. The median follow-up period was 10.9 years. We observed 142 cardiovascular events during the follow-up period and revealed that blood pressure management was significantly associated with cardiovascular event occurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30 to 3.70, p <0.001; HR 4.18, 95% CI 2.08 to 6.28, p <0.001; HR 10.96, 95% CI 6.10 to 17.58, p <0.001 in groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively, with group 1 as reference). In conclusion, blood pressure management is crucial in patients with heterozygous FH.

Familial hypercholesterolemia with special focus on Japan

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder characterized by increased low-density lipoprotein LDL) cholesterol and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Although initial genetic analysis linked FH to LDL receptor mutations, subsequent work demonstrated that a gain-of-function mutation in the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), which causes LDL-R degradation, was shown to be the cause of FH. In this review, we describe the history of research on FH, its clinical phenotyping and genotyping and advances in treatment with special focus on Japan.