An eight-year-old boy with acute coronary syndrome is believed to be the youngest ever case of homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia treated with filtration plasma and percutaneous coronary intervention, doctors are reporting.

The patient was admitted to hospital after experiencing chest pain with slight exertion for two months and had a blood pressure of 110/60mmHg, heart rate of 112bpm and a respiratory rate of 21 breaths per minute. 

He was noted to have clearly demarcated hemispherical yellow subcutaneous nodules, with no associated swelling or ulceration, on his hands, elbows, knees, ankles and buttocks.

Lab tests showed an “extremely high” plasma LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) of 14.02mmol/L and a total cholesterol of 17.98mmol/L, said doctors from Gansu Provincial Hospital in Lanzhou, China.