Color Genomics’ cholesterol and heart disease test: Are expensive genetic screens worth it?

[Color Genomics] is releasing a genetic test for a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, or FH, which causes sky-high cholesterol levels and a corresponding increase in the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

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Some outside cardiologists say that they’re not sure there is value in routinely testing for FH, despite the fact that the disease is a unquestionably deadly, because simple tests for cholesterol and low-density liprotein (LDL, the “bad cholesterol”) are so cheap and readily available. Why pull the blueprints, they argue, when you can much more cheaply just listen to the engine?

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James Stein of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, echoed those concerns, worrying about turning ‘people’ into ‘patients’ unnecessarily.

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But there is also a building chorus of experts on Color’s side, who think genetic testing for FH can help identify and motivate patients in ways that testing for LDL levels cannot.

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Some facts everyone agrees on: FH is serious, even if there is only one copy of the gene; in patients who have two FH genes, heart attacks can occur in people’s twenties.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: A New Heart Disease Test Flings Color Genomics Into A  Battle About Genetics In Medicine