Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder estimated to affect 0,4 % of the world's population (1 in 250). Patients with FH have abnormally high LDL-cholesterol.  Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of FH in Stockholm County and to evaluate the health economic impact of diagnosing people with FH early in life. Methods: Two algorithms were used to estimate the number of people with high LDLcholesterol. The first method applied data on cholesterol measurements from patients in Stockholm County between 2006-2008 and a modified version of Dutch Lipid Clinic Network. The second method was based on dispensed prescriptions of ezetimibe, lomitapide, evolucumab and alirocumab during 2019. A health economic model was created to estimate the economical outcome of diagnosing and treating patients early before undergoing a cardiovascular event. Results: The prevalence of FH in Stockholm County was estimated to 0.63 %, corresponding to a total of 12 000 individuals. The accumulated costs over 20 years for FH is estimated to be more than 1,1 billion SEK for diagnosed and treated patients, and 1,7 billion SEK for undiagnosed and untreated patients. Conclusions: The prevalence of FH in Stockholm County is probably higher than previously suggested. Early diagnosis and treatment is an investment for society and necessary for the patients to prevent cardiovascular events and improve quality of life.

Individer med homozygot familjär hyperkolesterolemi(FH), har höga halter av Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) vilket leder till ökad risk för kardiovaskulära sjukdomar. Behandling av dessa individer kan göras med extrakorporal elimination av LDL med hjälp av specifika reningskolonner. Syftet med studien var att utvärdera några agarosmodifierade adsorbenter för denna applikation. Adsorbenterna, modifierad polyakrylat (DALI), agaros (Zetaros), direkt sulfateradZetarose och taurin immobiliserad Zetarose, inkuberades med humant plasma spädd med PBS, och en volyms förhållande mellan matris och plasman på 1:5. Inkubering utfördes i rumstemperatur under 60 min med kontinuerlig blandning i rotator. Efter inkubation centrifugerades proverna och LDL bestämdes i såväl supernatant som pellet. Totalmängd adsorberade proteiner analyserades också i eluat från erhållen pellet. LDL bestämdes indirekt med hjälp av Friedewaldsformel (LDL = totalkolesterol (TC) –highdensitylipoprotein (HDL) - (0,45 x Triglycerider(TG)). TC och TG bestämdes enzymatiskt medan HDL kvantifierades som TC efter utfällning av LDL med dextransulfat. Resultaten visar tydligt att DALI har god adsorptionsförmåga.Dock uppvisar de modifierade Zetaroserna begränsad adsorptionskapacitet för LDL. Vid desorption av adsorbenterna visar SDS en bättre elueringsförmåga än NaCl relaterad till protein, vilket tyder hydrofoba proteiner. Metodiken som används i studien är lämplig för vidare studier av andra adsorbenter som förväntas användas i kliniska applikationer för elimination av LDL hos FH patienter. / Individuals that suffer from homozygote Familiar Hyperkolesterolemia (FH), has increased amounts of Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) which leads to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. Treatment of these individuals can be achieved by extracorporeal elimination of LDL using specific columns. The aim of this study was to evaluate different agarose-modified adsorbents ability to adsorb LDL from human plasma. The adsorbents (DALI, Zetarose, sulphonated Zetarose and taurine immobilized onto Zetarose) were incubated for 60 minutes with human plasma diluted with PBS, in a ratio of 1:5 between the matrix and the plasma during rotation with a rotator. After incubation the samples were centrifuged and the LDL content was determined in both the supernatant and the pellet. The amount proteins adsorbed were assayed by eluting the pellets. LDL was determined indirectly using Friedwalds equation; LDL= Total cholesterol (TC) - High density lipoprotein (HDL)-(0,45x Triglycerides (TG). The values of TC and TG in the sample were determined enzymatically, whilst HDL was quantified as TC after LDL-precipitation by dextran sulfate. The results clearly show that DALI has good adsorption capacity, but none of the modified Zetaroses shows any capacity to absorb LDL from human plasma. Desorption of the adsorbents using SDS gave higher amounts of eluated protein compared to NaCl elution, indicating hydrofobic proteins. However, the methods used in this study could be used to evaluate new adsorbents for LDL-elimination applications in patients with chronic hyperlipemia.