Helping families find and treat inherited high cholesterol
Collaborative Approach to Reach Everyone with Familial Hypercholesterolemia: CARE-FH
This project tests a clinic-based program to help primary care doctors find and treat children and adults with inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia).
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Geisinger Clinic NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Danville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11304545 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be cared for in your regular primary care clinic where new tools help spot people with familial high cholesterol earlier. The program builds routine lipid checks and offers genetic testing at recommended ages while using feedback from patients, clinicians, and health systems to shape how it works. Researchers will track how often people are identified, how acceptable the program is to patients and doctors, and whether the program can be kept running in real clinics. The aim is to create a practical approach other clinics can use to diagnose and treat FH sooner.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who receive care at participating primary care clinics—especially children ages 9–11, adolescents 18–20, adults 40 and older, or anyone with very high LDL cholesterol or a family history of FH—are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not get care at participating clinics, those already diagnosed and treated for FH, or those whose high cholesterol is from non-genetic causes may not benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help people get diagnosed earlier and start cholesterol-lowering treatment to lower their risk of early heart disease.
How similar studies have performed: Clinical guidelines and smaller pilot programs support early screening and treatment for FH, but large-scale, human-centered implementation in routine primary care is newer and still being tested.
Where this research is happening
Danville, United States
- Geisinger Clinic — Danville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gidding, Samuel S — Geisinger Clinic
- Study coordinator: Gidding, Samuel S
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.