Case Reports in Cardiology (Jan 2014)

A Case of Severe Carotid Stenosis in a Patient with Familial Hypercholesterolemia without Significant Coronary Artery Disease

  • Marcos Aurélio Lima Barros,
  • Hygor Ferreira-Fernandes,
  • Ingrid Cristina Rêgo Barros,
  • Adriel Rêgo Barbosa,
  • Giovanny Rebouças Pinto

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/853921
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2014

Abstract

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Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited metabolic disorder characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the blood. In its heterozygous form, it occurs in 1 in 500 individuals in the general population. It is an important contributor to the early onset of coronary artery disease (CAD), accounting for 5–10% of cases of cardiovascular events in people younger than 50 years. Atherogenesis triggered by hypercholesterolemia generally progresses faster in the coronary arteries, followed by the subsequent involvement of other arteries such as the carotids. Thus, symptoms of CAD commonly appear before the onset of significant carotid stenosis. Herein, we report the case of a patient with untreated FH who had severe carotid atherosclerosis at the age of 46 years but had no evidence of significant CAD.