FAMILIAL HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA AWARENESS DAY
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, Familial Hypercholesterolemia is the most common genetic condition causing high levels of LDL cholesterol (also known as “bad cholesterol”) and an increased risk for early and aggressive cardiovascular disease; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that approximately up to 1.3 million people – 1 in every 250 – have Familial Hypercholesterolemia, but fewer than 20 percent of those people have actually been diagnosed; and
WHEREAS, 5 percent of heart attacks that occur in individuals under age 60 and up to 20 percent of heart attacks that occur in individuals under age 45 are due to Familial Hypercholesterolemia; and
WHEREAS, Familial Hypercholesterolemia can be identified via the collection of a detailed family history of cardiovascular disease and a blood cholesterol screen and confirmed with DNA testing; and
WHEREAS, cholesterol screening is recommended for children ages 2 to 8 with a family history of high cholesterol or early onset cardiovascular disease; for all children ages 9 to 11; for all young adults ages 17 to 21; and for all adults approximately every 5 years; and
WHEREAS, the parents, siblings, and children of a person diagnosed with Familial Hypercholesterolemia have a 50 percent chance of also being diagnosed with the condition and should consult a medical provider for a screening; and
WHEREAS, early treatment with cholesterol-lowering medications in individuals with Familial Hypercholesterolemia can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim September 24, 2024, as “FAMILIAL HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA AWARENESS DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this eighteenth day of September in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.