Pasadena Research Firm Links COVID-19 Infection to Increased Heart Attacks in Patients With Genetic High Cholesterol, Heart Disease

New research from the Pasadena-based FH Foundation has determined that people with genetic high cholesterol, heart disease, or both, see elevated risk of heart attack following COVID-19 infection.

The study, published Tuesday in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, examined patients with known or suspected genetic high cholesterol, as well as patients diagnosed with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the FH Foundation said in a written statement.

“While previous studies have speculated about poorer outcomes if a person with genetic high cholesterol — called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) — contracts COVID-19, this study from the FH Foundation’s national healthcare database is the first to demonstrate higher heart attack rates in the real world,” according to the statement. “The study also importantly confirms that COVID-19 increases heart attack rates in individuals with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).”

The highest risk was found among patients who had documented ASCVD, along with people who displayed “probable FH,” but had not been formally diagnosed with the condition, foundation representatives said. The group had heart attacks at a rate seven times greater than similar patients who had not contracted COVID-19.

A proprietary machine learning process called “FIND FH” was used to help identify probable cases of the illness among the 55.4 million patients tracked in the study, explained study co-author and FH Foundation Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mary McGowan.

“The highest heart attack rates occurred in individuals infected with COVID-19 who had preexisting cardiovascular disease and were flagged by the FIND FH model as probable FH,” she said. “We speculate that because these individuals have yet to receive an FH diagnosis, they may not be receiving appropriate lipid lowering treatment placing them at significantly higher risk.”

“This study is a call to action to diagnose individuals with this deadly genetic condition who are hiding in plain sight within our healthcare system, and take particular precautions related to COVID-19 infections,” McGowan said. “FH is an untapped opportunity for heart disease prevention.”

FH is common but vastly underdiagnosed, according to the foundation.

“[It] increases an individual’s risk for cardiovascular disease by up to 20-fold due to lifelong elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels,” the statement said. “Today, only 10% of the 1.3 million Americans with FH are diagnosed, due to lack of awareness in the medical community and public.”

More information on the FH Foundation is available on the nonprofit organization’s website at thefhfoundation.org.