Translational Research for Improving the Care of Familial Hypercholesterolemia: The “Ten Countries Study” and Beyond

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the most common and serious form of inherited hyperlipidaemia. Dominantly inherited with high penetrance, untreated FH leads to premature death from coronary artery disease due to accelerated atherosclerosis from birth. Despite its importance, there is still a major shortfall in awareness, detection and treatment of FH worldwide. International models of care for FH have recently been published, but their effective implementation requires the garnering of more knowledge about the condition. The "Ten Countries Study" aims to investigate diagnostic, epidemiological and service aspects, as well as physician practices and patient experiences of FH in several…