The Independent Association Between Age and Serum Cholesterol Levels in Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Background: Studies have suggested that age and the serum total cholesterol (TC) concentration are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH); however, the relationship between age and TC in patients with FH is unclear. We aimed to investigate the correlation between age and TC in patients with FH. Methods: In this study, 103 patients with FH and 106 non-FH controls were recruited from 2004 to 2017. Spearman and partial correlation analyses, as well as multiple regression analyses, were used to evaluate the relationship between TC and age. Results: There were no significant differences in age, gender, or BMI between the FH group and the control group (p > 0.05). Family history of CVD, TC, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), lipoprotein (a) (Lp[a]), and non-HDL-C levels were significantly higher in patients with FH compared with the controls (p < 0.01). Additionally, the serum TC levels for ages >= 50 years were significantly higher than those for ages < 50 years (p < 0.05) in FH patients. In both Spearman and partial correlation analyses, age was found to be significantly correlated with serum TC (p < 0.001) in the FH group but not in the control group, which was confirmed by further multiple linear regression analyses and logistic regression analyses. Conclusions: Age is an independent factor influencing serum TC level in patients with FH, and it is necessary to conduct early screening and early intervention.