Description
MedPed (Make early diagnoses to Prevent early deaths in Medical Pedigrees) Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) initiative is aimed to identify subjects with FH that are either undiagnosed or inadequately treated and help them treat their disorder by advising them and their doctors on the best possible medical therapies available and to avoid premature manifestation of atherosclerosis. A network of MedPed FH collaborating out-patient departments serve as referring departments for general practitioners and specialists not focused on lipid disorders. MedPed centres diagnose, treat and educate patients with FH and offer cascade screening to family members taking into account 50% risk of FH in first degree relatives.Program launch date
1997Responsible entity
Srdce rodiny (Heart of family) foundation, Slovak Association of Atherosclerosis, National Health SystemAvailable results and quality metrics
More than 2700 patients with suspected FH have been registered and managed in MedPed centres. Data collected on FH patients were used for approval and free of charge cover of PCSK9 inhibitors for selected FH patients in Slovakia. LDL-C treatment goals achievement and reasons for not reaching LDL-C goals in FH patients were evaluated using data from MedPed centers (Atherosclerosis. 2018; 277:355-361; Atherosclerosis. 2018;277:323-326) . Data from the initiative have been used for surveillance of familial hypercholesterolaemia both at national and international levels (Lancet. 2021 ;398(10312):1713-1725; Lancet. 2024 ;403(10421):55-66; Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2019;21(9):36).Limitations / comments
They are still around 80% of expected FH patients not identified in Slovakia. Awareness about FH in primary care physicians and specialists should be improved.