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Mexico detects only 10% of premature heart attack-causing disease cases
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Mexico detects only 10% of premature heart attack-causing disease cases

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Specialists estimate only 10% of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia cases are identified in Mexico.
  • This rare genetic condition causes extremely high cholesterol from birth, leading to premature heart attacks.
  • Experts urge increased awareness, early detection in children, and prioritizing clinical history to combat underdiagnosis.

A rare genetic condition that causes extremely high cholesterol from birth, leading to premature heart attacks, is significantly underdiagnosed in Mexico, with specialists estimating that only 10% of cases are identified.

Familial hypercholesterolemia, specifically the homozygous form (HoFH), is inherited and not caused by poor lifestyle habits. It affects approximately one in 315,000 people globally. Individuals with HoFH often have LDL cholesterol levels eight to ten times higher than normal, exceeding 400 mg/dL. This accelerates plaque buildup in arteries from a young age, increasing the risk of severe cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes at unusually early ages.

It is a genetic disease, it is inherited and it is not due to bad habits.

— Ramón Madriz PradoHead of Pediatric Endocrinology at the National Defense Secretariat's Medical Specialties Unit, explaining the nature of the disease.

Ramón Madriz Prado, head of Pediatric Endocrinology at the National Defense Secretariat's Medical Specialties Unit, highlighted the primary challenge as overcoming widespread ignorance about the disease. He stressed the importance of not dismissing cholesterol abnormalities in children and requesting tests based on suspicion. Madriz also emphasized that clinical history remains fundamental, even with advancements like artificial intelligence.

The clinical history is fundamental.

— Ramón Madriz PradoEmphasizing the importance of patient history in diagnosis, even with technological advancements.

Visible signs, such as xanthomas (cholesterol deposits appearing as skin lumps), can emerge before age ten in the homozygous form. However, a key indicator is often family history rather than physical symptoms. Diagnosis involves blood tests for cholesterol and triglycerides, complemented by clinical evaluation, family history review, and tests to rule out other causes of high cholesterol.

The discussion around HoFH gained prominence at the Mexican Association for the Prevention of Atherosclerosis (AMPAC) congress, where specialists addressed premature cardiovascular risk and explored new therapeutic options like evinacumab.

We always believe that a child cannot have high lipids, but with this disease we know that they can.

— Ramón Madriz PradoAddressing the misconception that children do not suffer from high cholesterol.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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