Single-gene mutations account for only 2 percent of cases of severely elevated cholesterol

(Massachusetts General Hospital) A study from an international research team finds that familial hypercholesterolemia accounts for less than 2 percent of severely elevated LDL in the general population. But the team also found that the risk of coronary artery disease is significantly higher in individuals with FH than in people with similarly elevated LDL levels who do not have FH mutations.