A study on knowledge, awareness, and practice of familial hypercholesterolemia among doctors at two tertiary care hospitals in Sri Lanka

Introduction: Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder affecting low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) metabolism. Individuals with FH have a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). South Asia is burdened by premature CVD. Early detection and management of FH can reduce the burden of CVD. Despite growing awareness, FH remains underdiagnosed and therefore untreated, and assessing the present level of knowledge among doctors would help to implement educational activities.
Methods: Doctors from two large teaching hospitals in Sri Lanka were requested to complete a survey questionnaire comprising questions on awareness, clinical features, prevalence, inheritance, and treatment of FH.
Results: Of the 269 doctors surveyed, 168 (66.42%) of them correctly described FH and only 44 (16.66.%) knew about its global prevalence. 12 (4.55%) were aware of the risk of CVD associated with FH. Only 01 (0.75%) and 02 (1.5%) correctly identified the age threshold for premature CVD in men and women, respectively. 228 (87.36%) and 136 (54.84%) identified statins as monotherapy and statin and ezetimibe as combination therapy for FH, respectively. Furthermore, in practice 117 (44.66%) routinely screened family members for FH, and only half the doctors correctly identified the transmission rate to first-degree relatives (38.78%).
Conclusion: Substantial defects in the knowledge of FH were seen among doctors. Immediate steps have to be taken to increase awareness and knowledge about FH in doctors practicing in Sri Lanka.