The time is now: Achieving FH paediatric screening across Europe – The Prague Declaration
Nicole Bedlington, Marianne Abifadel, Birgit Beger, Mafalda Bourbon, Héctor Bueno, R Češka, Kristýna Cillíková, Zdenka Cimická, Magdalena Daccord, Carine de Beaufort, Kanika Dharmayat, Brian A. Ference, Tomáš Freiberger, Marius Geanta, Samuel S. Gidding, Urh Grošelj, Martin Halle, Neil F. Johnson, Tanja Novakovic, Ondřej Májek, Athanasios Pallidis, Noël Peretti, Fausto J. Pinto, Kausik K. Ray, Bleddyn Rees, John N. Reeve, Željko Reiner, Raúl D. Santos, Heribert Schunkert, Jaka Šikonja, Milka Sokolović, Lâle Tokgözoğlu, Michal Vrablı́k, Albert Wiegman, Iñaki Gutiérrez‐Ibarluzea
Abstract
Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is the most common inherited metabolic disorder characterized by high cholesterol and if left untreated leads to premature cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks. Treatment that begins early in life, particularly in childhood, is highly efficacious in preventing cardiovascular disease and cost-effective, thus early detection of FH is crucial. However, in Europe, less than 10% of people living with FH are diagnosed and even less receive life-saving treatment. The Prague Declaration is a call to action for national and European Union policymakers and decision-makers and a result of the Czech EU Presidency meeting on FH Paediatric Screening (early detection of inherited high cholesterol) at the Czech Senate in Prague on 6th September 2022. It builds on a considerable body of evidence which was discussed at the Technical Meeting under the auspices of the Slovenian EU Presidency in October 2021. The Prague meeting addressed the outstanding barriers to the systematic implementation of FH paediatric screening across Europe. In this article, we present the key points from the Prague meeting and concrete actions needed to move forward.