BMJ  2004;328:500-501 (28 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7438.500

Primary care

Effect of statin treatment for familial hypercholesterolaemia on life assurance: results of consecutive surveys in 1990 and 2002

¹ Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, Oxford OX3 7HJ, ² Division of Public Health and Primary Health Care, Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, ³ Centre for Cardiovascular Genetics, British Heart Foundation Laboratories, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, London WC1E 6JJ

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

One of the concerns often raised about genetic testing is the possibility that a positive result (or even disclosing that the test has been taken) may result in difficulty in obtaining life assurance. Currently the UK insurance industry has declared a moratorium on requiring genetic tests from applicants,¹ but since DNA based tests offer a definitive, highly specific diagnosis they are likely eventually to replace less specific clinical diagnostic criteria for many inherited disorders. Early, presymptomatic treatment may increase life expectancy by preventing or reducing the risk of developing the disease or associated complications. However, if life assurance policy premiums do not adequately reflect the reduction in mortality with treatment relatives of affected probands may be deterred from being tested. We examined how life assurance companies have responded to the improvement in the prognosis of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia with statin treatment.²

Familial hypercholesterolaemia is an autosomal dominant disorder, inherited on . . . [Full text of this article]

Participants, methods, and results

Comment

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Efficacy of statins in familial hypercholesterolaemia: a long term cohort study

Jorie Versmissen, Daniëlla M Oosterveer, Mojgan Yazdanpanah, Joep C Defesche, Dick C G Basart, Anho H Liem, Jan Heeringa, Jacqueline C Witteman, Peter J Lansberg, John J P Kastelein, and Eric J G Sijbrands
BMJ 2008 337: a2423. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Chowdhury, T. A, Hitman, G. A (2009). NICE guidance for identification and treatment of familial hypercholesterolaemia: Commentary 1. Heart 95: 587-589 [Full text]  
• Hadfield, S G, Horara, S, Starr, B J, Yazdgerdi, S, Marks, D, Bhatnagar, D, Cramb, R, Egan, S, Everdell, R, Ferns, G, Jones, A, Marenah, C B, Marples, J, Prinsloo, P, Sneyd, A, Stewart, M F, Sandle, L, Wang, T, Watson, M S, Humphries, S E, on behalf of the Steering Group for the Department, (2009). Family tracing to identify patients with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia: the second Audit of the Department of Health Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Cascade Testing Project. Ann Clin Biochem 46: 24-32 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Versmissen, J., Oosterveer, D. M, Yazdanpanah, M., Defesche, J. C, Basart, D. C G, Liem, A. H, Heeringa, J., Witteman, J. C, Lansberg, P. J, Kastelein, J. J P, Sijbrands, E. J G (2008). Efficacy of statins in familial hypercholesterolaemia: a long term cohort study. BMJ 337: a2423-a2423 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Austin, M. A., Hutter, C. M., Zimmern, R. L., Humphries, S. E. (2004). Genetic Causes of Monogenic Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: A HuGE Prevalence Review. Am J Epidemiol 160: 407-420 [Abstract] [Full text]  

Online poll

Find out more here>> and here>>