Lipoprotein(a) testing in lipid clinics across the UK: Results of a national survey.

Lipoprotein(a) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and its use is recommended in national and international guidelines for cardiovascular disease risk stratification. We undertook a survey to understand the availability and application of lipoprotein(a) measurement across UK lipid clinics. Fifty-three out of an estimated 200 lipid clinics (27%) provided responses.

The current status of lipoprotein (a) measurement in clinical biochemistry laboratories in the UK: Results of a 2021 national survey.

Background: Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is now established as a causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and accurate laboratory measurement is of pivotal importance in reducing Lp(a) associated risk. The consensus statement by HEART UK in 2019 included recommendations to improve standardisation of clinical laboratory measurement and reporting of Lp(a).

Methods: A 16 question, electronic audit survey was circulated to 190 accredited clinical biochemistry laboratories to assess the adoption of these recommendations in the UK.

Managing hyperlipidaemia in patients with COVID-19 and during its pandemic: An expert panel position statement from HEART UK.

The emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in a pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious and its severity highly variable. The fatality rate is unpredictable but is amplified by several factors including advancing age, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity.

HEART UK consensus statement on Lipoprotein(a): A call to action.

Lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), is a modified atherogenic low-density lipoprotein particle that contains apolipoprotein(a). Its levels are highly heritable and variable in the population. This consensus statement by HEART UK is based on the evidence that Lp(a) is an independent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor, provides recommendations for its measurement in clinical practice and reviews current and emerging therapeutic strategies to reduce CVD risk.

Lipoprotein apheresis efficacy, challenges and outcomes: A descriptive analysis from the UK Lipoprotein Apheresis Registry, 1989-2017.

Background And Aims: In 2008, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence in the UK recommended that patients undergoing lipoprotein apheresis (LA) should be included in an anonymised registry. The UK Lipoprotein Apheresis Registry was subsequently established in 2011.

Methods: Between 2011 and 2017, data was entered retrospectively and prospectively by seven LA centres in the UK for 151 patients.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia patient support groups and advocacy: A multinational perspective.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an autosomal-dominant disorder associated with high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Left untreated, 50% of men with FH will develop coronary heart disease by the age of 50 and 30% of women by the age 60 [1,2]. It is estimated that the prevalence may be as high as one in 250 people, with most undiagnosed.

HEART UK statement on the management of homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia in the United Kingdom.

This consensus statement addresses the current three main modalities of treatment of homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH): pharmacotherapy, lipoprotein (Lp) apheresis and liver transplantation. HoFH may cause very premature atheromatous arterial disease and death, despite treatment with Lp apheresis combined with statin, ezetimibe and bile acid sequestrants. Two new classes of drug, effective in lowering cholesterol in HoFH, are now licensed in the United Kingdom.