Those with the inherited gene mutation could have very high bad cholesterol levels from birth. Read more at straitstimes.com.
SINGAPORE – A child here was just 2½ years old when he was started on cholesterol-lowering medication. At that time, the toddler had an extremely high level of LDL , the bad cholesterol – it was 15 millimoles per litre compared with the normal level for a toddler of below 3.4 mmol/L.
In 2020, 931 people here under the age of 50 had heart attacks, out of whom 15 were under 30 years old. In 2022, the team was given a larger grant by Precision Health Research Singapore, set up by the Government to promote data-driven healthcare. This allowed the team to accelerate the process.Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Singapore’s chief health scientist, said people with the mutation need to be picked up early before they have a heart attack in their 20s, 30s or 40s.
Only about 40 per cent of the index cases – the first person in a family diagnosed – clinically diagnosed with FH were actually found to have a gene mutation after the screening. The rest have other causes for their high cholesterol levels. Treatment for both groups is the same. An article published in Current Cardiology Reviews in 2008 said: “This portrait painted in 1506 is probably the first evidence of familial hypercholesterolemia.”Prof Tan said FH screening has become possible only in recent years with easily available gene sequencing.
It is rare for a person to have two defective, cholesterol-linked genes, which makes the problem a lot more serious. Prof Tavintharan said that out of 1,162 index patients screened, 23 had more than one defective gene, but from different pairs.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Commentary: Reporting a radicalised loved one or friend need not be a dilemmaYou notice your teenage sibling spending less time with the family. Most of the time, he is locked up in his room with his laptop. When you approach, he just says he is doing research. He gets easily slighted and gets into fights at school over being “insulted” on the basis of his views and identity.
Read more »
Today in Pictures, Aug 17, 2023Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Ukraine tells military-age citizens to 'overcome their fear' in recruitment campaign“Bravery conquers fear,” ran one of the campaign’s slogans. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
More scope for youth volunteerism, says Tharman as he calls on them to ‘be impatient for change’Rather than one-off efforts, more can be done through sustained and cause-driven volunteerism, he said. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »