Could blood donation be used to screen for FH?
It's a novel and cost-effective way of identifying the disorder: researchers
Blood donation could provide an opportunity for screening for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), according to a proof-of-concept study.
The researchers analysed deidentified data from 2002 to 2016 on blood donors aged 16 and older who donated to a large US blood program that routinely measures total non-fasting serum cholesterol.
FH was defined using the ‘Make Early Diagnosis to Prevent Early Death’ general population criteria, with total non-fasting serum cholesterol thresholds of 6.99mmol/L, 7.51mmol/L, 8.81mmol/L, and 9.3mmol/L for donors younger than 20, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, and 40 or older, respectively.
For repeat donors, the maximum observed level was used for analysis.
