There is growing evidence that people with high cholesterol and heart disease are vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness.
Now, a new study published by the Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) Foundation has confirmed that COVID-19 significantly increased the risk of heart attacks in patients with these comorbidities, according to BioSpace.
Familial hypercholesterolemia is one of the common yet underdiagnosed hereditary conditions.
FH patients have elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol from birth, while others with hypercholesterolemia cases are generally due to age, lifestyle, and diet.
Only 10% of the estimated 1.3 million people with FH have received a diagnosis due to lack of awareness, according to the study researchers. This genetic condition increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20 times due to the long-term elevation of bad cholesterol.
The FH Foundation analyzed more than 55 million people with confirmed FH, probable FH, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and with and without COVID-19 using a machine learning process dubbed “FIND FH.”
The analysis found that people with the “probable FH” and pre-existing ASCVD infected who had COVID-19 experienced heart attacks at the highest rate, seven times greater compared to those who did not catch the virus.
Study author Kelly Myers said, “These results are significant because these data underscore the importance of understanding if individuals have underlying cardiovascular disease or genetic high cholesterol when treating for COVID-19 infection or considering vaccination.”
Myers is the Chief Technology Officer of the FH Foundation and leads the FIND FH initiative.
Another author Mary McGowan said the “probable FH” patients are likely not to receive lipid-lowering treatment. People with hereditary hypercholesterolemia cannot be well-managed by diet and exercise alone.
“This study is a call to action to diagnose individuals with this deadly genetic condition who are hiding in plain sight within our healthcare system and take particular precautions related to COVID-19 infections. FH is an untapped opportunity for heart disease prevention,” explained McGowan, who is the Chief Medical Officer of the FH Foundation.
Medications are available for treating FH, but diagnosing the condition is important.
Meanwhile, the researchers urge people with FH and ASVCD to take extra precautions in order to avoid catching the novel coronavirus (SARS-COV-2), which has been affecting the whole world for more than a year now. Vaccinations have now been made available in most countries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working on a plan to determine whether the currently available COVID-19 vaccines will require a booster dose to prevent the spread of new variants, as they have mutated into more contagious and deadly strains than the original one.
