As of: February 6, 2024, 9:52 a.m
By: Andreas Beez
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Fight against the hereditary disease familial hypercholesterolemia: everything comes together at the German Heart Center in Munich.
© Andreas Beez
Using blood tests, Munich doctors discovered genes in 180 Bavarian families that massively increase cholesterol levels and thus the risk of heart attack.
A team of doctors led by cardiologists from the German Heart Center in Munich tested more than 17,000 children between the ages of five and 14 in Bavaria for familial hypercholesterolemia.
As part of the so-called VRONI study, more than 180 families were identified who were affected by the dangerous hereditary disease if left untreated.
Elevated cholesterol levels are considered a major risk factor for a heart attack, even at a young age (see info box).
In the majority of Bavarian families who have now been warned, therapy has already been initiated, reports the Munich study team.
Millions of Germans affected by elevated cholesterol levels
The medical background: In Germany alone, millions of people struggle with elevated cholesterol levels.
A maximum of 30 percent of cholesterol levels can be reduced through diet, and regular exercise can also help.
Those affected often have to take additional medication - especially if they have vascular diseases such as coronary heart disease or an inherited lipid metabolism disorder;
In the latter case, doctors speak of familial hypercholesterolemia.
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Elevated cholesterol levels are so dangerous
Cholesterol is produced in the liver and absorbed through food.
It is needed as an important building block for the body's cells and plays - in moderation - a role in the formation of bile acid and in the production of important hormones.
“So that the cholesterol can be transported into the body via the individual blood vessels, the body packs the fats into protein packets and forms lipoproteins, consisting of fat (lipid) and protein (protein): LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol,” explains the German Foundation Stroke help the background.
Elevated cholesterol levels can cause vascular diseases and, among other things, a stroke.
© Panther
LDL cholesterol fuels vascular diseases In particular, LDL cholesterol (low density lipoprotein) can accumulate in the vessel walls and thereby fuel the gradual process of vascular calcification, which is technically known as arteriosclerosis.
The arteries become increasingly brittle or stiff and narrow.
In the worst case, the blood vessel closes completely, downstream tissue can no longer be supplied with oxygen - and the dreaded catastrophe in the heart or brain occurs, for example.
In Germany, almost 200,000 people suffer a heart attack and almost 270,000 have a stroke every year.
Hereditary disease is only discovered in five percent of cases
Only five percent of cases of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) have so far been discovered in Germany - usually only after the heart attack.
That is why experts are in favor of expanding screening to include the hereditary disease.
“The high awareness and treatment rate in Bavaria shows that there is a great willingness to recognize and treat familial hypercholesterolemia at an early stage,” explains Dr.
Veronika Sanin, head of the VRONI study at the German Heart Center Munich.
Corresponding examinations are currently starting in Lower Saxony on 5 to 14 year old children.
Screening for familial hypercholesterolemia is a crucial step in preventing the development of cardiovascular diseases at an early stage in risk groups.
Professor Heribert Schunkert, chief cardiologist at the German Heart Center in Munich and deputy chairman of the German Heart Foundation
Heart Professor H. Schunkert: Screening for familial hypercholesterolemia must be carried out throughout Germany
Heart professor Heribert Schunkert is one of Europe's most renowned heart specialists.
He heads the cardiology clinic at the German Heart Center in Munich and is deputy chairman of the German Heart Foundation.
© German Heart Center
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Professor Heribert Schunkert, chief cardiologist at the Heart Center and deputy chairman of the German Heart Foundation, sees the expansion of the study as a further milestone in the fight against the hereditary disease: “The combination of data from the study results in Bavaria and the north should form the basis for a future FH screening will be included in standard care throughout Germany.
We are confident that we can improve diagnosis and therapy for those affected of all ages.”