Ommelander Hospital the center in Groningen and Drenthe for people with hereditary elevated cholesterol (FH)

Scheemda – Since January 2019, Ommelander Hospital Groningen has been a so-called LEEFH center. The LEEFH Foundation is a national expertise center for FH. FH is the abbreviation for Familial Hypercholesterolemia. This is a hereditary high cholesterol. Although many people are not aware of the condition, FH is one of the most common hereditary metabolic diseases in the Netherlands. 1 in 240 Dutch people has FH.

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High risk of cardiovascular disease at a very young age
Martina van der Paard is a specialist vascular nurse and LEEFH consultant at Ommelander Hospital. “It is important that we identify patients with FH. People with FH have a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease. This is due to a flaw in the genes. As a result, the production and removal of cholesterol in the liver does not go well. As a result, narrowing in the walls of arteries can occur more quickly. As a result, there is a chance that a heart attack or stroke will already occur at the age of 30 or 40.”

Detect and treat as early as possible
The LEEFH Foundation, the national expertise center, coordinates Genetic and Family Research at FH. The Ommelander Hospital is one of the regional LEEFH centers and so far the only center in the province of Groningen and Drenthe where patients can go for research, diagnosis and treatment. Martina explains: “It is very important that people who have been diagnosed with FH (by determining genetic testing) also have their family members tested. There is a 50% chance that FH will be passed on to the children.

Children can be tested for FH from the age of 8, if a gene mutation is known within the family. If FH is detected at a young age, treatment can be started in time, under the supervision of the pediatrician. This can save a lot of suffering later in life.”

Collaboration with general practitioners and the LEEFH Foundation is crucial
The risks of FH are great and an estimated 40,000 people are still walking around in the Netherlands who do not know that they have a gene mutation that is responsible for elevated cholesterol. In order to trace these people, collaboration with general practitioners and the LEEFH Foundation is crucial.

Martina: “General practitioners’ practices play a key role in the investigation. They can refer patients to us if they suspect FH. We explain what FH entails and have genetic research performed at the AMC in Amsterdam by sending blood. If a patient is found to have FH, family members of this patient can be tested free of charge. I do the interview with the patient and any family members and explain the test packages. The rest is facilitated by the LEEFH Foundation.”

FH is usually treatable
Although the risks for patients with FH are high, FH is usually treatable with medication. Martina: “The aim of our LEEFH center is to trace as many people as possible with FH, so that we can treat and guide them. Step one of the treatment is a healthier lifestyle, such as a healthy and varied diet (less bad fats), not smoking, enough exercise, and so on. I guide you in that. In addition, we prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs, so that the cholesterol is better removed by the liver. This slows down the formation of narrowing in the arteries. This also reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. “