Gisle Langslet‘s PhD thesis shows that statins are safe and effective, but underused in children and young adults with familial hypercholesterolemia.

MAIN RESULTS:

1. Cholesterol-lowering statins are safe and effective for children who have inherited high cholesterol.
2. Statins reverses the increased carotid intima media thickness in children with familial hypercholesterolemia.
3. Several children and young adults with familial hypercholesterolemia are not adequately treated.

THESIS DEFENCE:

Thesis: Treatment and long term follow-up of children and young adults with familial hypercholesterolemia
Candidate: Gisle Langslet
Time: April 24, 2018 at 12:30
Place: Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet B: Red auditorium
Link to university website (in Norwegian)

SUMMARY:

(1/4) Two years treatment with rosuvastatin lowered LDL cholesterol with up to 45 % in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolemia. Statin treatment proved to be safe and did not influence neither growth nor puberty.

The study includes 197 children between 6 and 16 years old from The Netherlands, Norway, Canada, The US and Belgium. These children had higher baseline carotid intima media thickness than their siblings without familial hypercholesterolemia, but two years of rosuvastatin treatment eliminated this difference.

REFERENCES:

(1) Braamskamp, M. J., Langslet, G., McCrindle, B. W., Cassiman, D., Francis, G. A., Gagné, C., Gaudet, D., Morrison, K. M., Wiegman, A., Turner, T., Kusters, D. M., Miller, E., Raichlen, J. S., Wissmar, J., Martin, P. D., Stein, E. A., & Kastelein, J. J. P., (2015). Efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin therapy in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolemia: Results from the CHARON study. Journal of clinical lipidology, 9(6), 741-750.

(2) Langslet, G., Bogsrud, M. P., Halvorsen, I., Fjeldstad, H., Retterstøl, K., Veierød, M. B., & Ose, L. (2015). Long-term follow-up of young adults with familial hypercholesterolemia after participation in clinical trials during childhood. Journal of clinical lipidology, 9(6), 778-785.

(3) Langslet, G., Breazna, A., & Drogari, E. (2016). A 3-year study of atorvastatin in children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Journal of clinical lipidology, 10(5), 1153-1162.

(4) Braamskamp, M. J., Langslet, G., McCrindle, B. W., Cassiman, D., Francis, G. A., Gagne, C., Gaudet, D., Morrison, K. M., Wiegman, A., Turner, T., Miller, E., Kusters, D. M., Raichlen, J. S., Martin, P. D., Stein, E. A., Kastelein, J. J. P., & Hutten, B. A. (2017). Effect of Rosuvastatin on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Children With Heterozygous Familial HypercholesterolemiaClinical Perspective: The CHARON Study (Hypercholesterolemia in Children and Adolescents Taking Rosuvastatin Open Label). Circulation, 136(4), 359-366.

(5) Bogsrud, M. P., Langslet, G., Wium, C., Johansen, D., Svilaas, A., & Holven, K. B. (2017). Treatment goal attainment in children with familial hypercholesterolemia: A cohort study of 302 children in Norway. Journal of clinical lipidology.