Stepwise Targeted Screening for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Scalable Model Linking Premature Coronary Artery Disease and Community Screening in Vietnam.
TH, T., DL, D., MP, V., MT, N., HA, L., TT, L., TT, T., HP, V., DT, N., & VD, L. (2026). Stepwise Targeted Screening for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Scalable Model Linking Premature Coronary Artery Disease and Community Screening in Vietnam.. Global heart. https://doi.org/10.5334/gh.1557
TH T, DL D, MP V, MT N, HA L, TT L, et al. Stepwise Targeted Screening for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Scalable Model Linking Premature Coronary Artery Disease and Community Screening in Vietnam.. Global heart. 2026; doi: 10.5334/gh.1557
TH T, DL D, MP V, et al. Stepwise Targeted Screening for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Scalable Model Linking Premature Coronary Artery Disease and Community Screening in Vietnam.[J]. Global heart. 2026. DOI: 10.5334/gh.1557.
@article{th2026,
author = {Truong TH and Do DL and Vu MP and Nguyen MT and Le HA and Le TT and Tran TT and Vu HP and Nguyen DT and Le VD},
title = {Stepwise Targeted Screening for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Scalable Model Linking Premature Coronary Artery Disease and Community Screening in Vietnam.},
journal = {Global heart},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.5334/gh.1557},
note = {PMID: 42180794},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Truong TH AU - Do DL AU - Vu MP AU - Nguyen MT AU - Le HA AU - Le TT AU - Tran TT AU - Vu HP AU - Nguyen DT AU - Le VD TI - Stepwise Targeted Screening for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Scalable Model Linking Premature Coronary Artery Disease and Community Screening in Vietnam. T2 - Global heart PY - 2026 DO - 10.5334/gh.1557 AN - PMID:42180794 ER -
BACKGROUND: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common autosomal dominant disorder associated with a substantially increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), universal FH screening is often impractical, highlighting the need for targeted screening strategies embedded within existing health systems. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the detection yield and real-world implementation feasibility of a stepwise targeted FH screening strategy in a resource-limited setting. METHODS: This multi-component implementation study included retrospective and prospective hospital-based screening of patients with premature coronary artery disease (CAD), followed by a geographically targeted community-based screening program linked to a genetically confirmed FH index case in Vietnam. FH was assessed using the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria, with LDL-C thresholds applied for community-level screening. RESULTS: Among patients with premature CAD, phenotypic FH was identified in 2.5% and 8.3% of the retrospective and prospective cohorts, respectively. The higher detection rate in the prospective cohort may reflect more systematic phenotyping. In the community screening, 59.1% of eligible individuals participated, and 10.6% had LDL-C levels ≥ 4.9 mmol/L. CONCLUSIONS: A stepwise targeted FH screening strategy-initiated in clinical populations and extended via geographically targeted community screening-demonstrates feasibility and potential scalability in resource-limited settings and may provide a pragmatic framework for integration into national NCD programs in LMICs. HIGHLIGHTS: - Targeted screening strategies may enhance the detection of FH in resource-limited settings where universal screening is not feasible.- Patients with premature coronary artery disease represent a high FH detection rate.- Geographically targeted community-based screening linked to FH index cases enables identification of individuals with markedly elevated LDL-C levels.- A stepwise approach combining hospital-based and community-based screening may provide a scalable model for FH detection in LMICs.