The FH Foundation is joining with Breakaway from Heart Disease at the 2018 Amgen Tour of California community events, to increase awareness of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and break the cycle of family heart disease. FH causes approximately 20% of heart attacks under the age of 45, and is the most common genetic disorder causing early heart disease. The FH Foundation will participate in the Tour of California, which starts today, and continue the campaign throughout the year.90% of individuals born with FH are unaware and undiagnosed. The FH is committed to helping people understand that their high cholesterol, especially if they have a family history of heart disease, could be an inherited metabolic disorder requiring medical management.
“People with familial hypercholesterolemia typically are prone to heart attacks or other life-threatening heart conditions early in life. Although FH occurs in 1 in 250 people around the world today, FH is a largely invisible but tragic condition that is passed down through generations, leaving entire families at increased risk,” said Katherine Wilemon, founder and CEO of the FH Foundation. “Our aim is to break the cycle of family heart disease. With early diagnosis and treatment, FH can be managed.
The FH Foundation will be participating in the Tour of California and will provide educational resources on FH, as well as have FH Advocates for Awareness available to speak to individuals at the Lifestyle Festival throughout the tour. You can follow our progress on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Materials are also available on the FH Foundation web site at www.thefhfoundation.org.
The FH Foundation and the American Heart Association developed guidelines for the identification of familial hypercholesterolemia, which outline that anyone with a family history of early heart disease and high cholesterol (defined as LDL-C >190 mg/DL for adults and LDL-C>160mg/DL for children) be screened for FH.
