Primordial prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Lithuania: Pediatric dyslipidemia and cascade screening of large risk families

Abstract

Background and Aims: Cardiovascular mortality rates are extremely high in Lithuania (56.1% of all deaths in 2017). One of the main causes of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases is familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). When establishing a national screening programme for FH in Lithuania only adult patients were included into the program. There is also a lack of recommendations for pediatric or familial screening in Lithuania. By the end of last year, we have started inviting families at high risk for FH for genetic screening in Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos.