EPIRUS FH Reverse Cascade Screening
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Familial Hypercholesterolemia. Basic parameters: 4 years — 16 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Reverse Cascade Screening for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in Children and Adolescents in Northwest Greece
Overview
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the most common inherited metabolic disorder resulting in marked elevations in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). If left untreated, lifelong exposure to elevated LDL-C leads to a substantially increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease as compared to the general population. Although FH adverse cardiovascular outcomes are potentially preventable through early identification of FH individuals and initiation of effective treatment, available evidence shows that FH is under-diagnosed and under-treated. Childhood is the optimal period for FH screening, because due to minimal dietary and hormonal influences, LDL-C levels reflect predominantly the genetic component in children and are well suited to discriminate FH from other causes of elevated LDL-C. If FH remains untreated in this latent stage of the disease, individuals show a 10-fold increase of cardiovascular risk during early and middle adulthood. In this context, an effective approach for detecting FH would be a screening during childhood or in young adolescents in combination with reverse cascade screening of first-degree relatives of FH individuals. EPIRUS-FH registry is a model program of reverse cascade screening for FH in children and adolescents in Northwest Greece that aims to increase public and physician awareness, strengthen the national registry of familial hypercholesterolemia (HELLAS-FH) and constitute the core for a national FH registry in children and adolescents in Greece.
Primary outcome measures
- Diagnosis of Familial Hypercholesterolemia [Time frame: Baseline]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- LDL-C >160 mg/dL on two seperate measurements 3 months apart
- LDL-C >130 mg/dL + family history of premature coronary artery disease or hypercholesterolemia in one parent
- Children and adolescents on cholesterol-lowering medication
Exclusion criteria
- Refusal to sign the consent form and disagreement with the terms of participation.
- Any clinically significant disorder recognized at the time of the preliminary assessment, which in the judgment of the investigator would disqualify patient's participation in the study.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT05825612 · EPIRUS-FH