SCTIMST Performs Kerala’s First LDL Apheresis on 34-Year-Old Woman with Rare Genetic Cholesterol Disorder
मुख्य बातें
- •SCTIMST in Thiruvananthapuram performed Kerala’s first LDL apheresis on a 34-year-old woman with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).
- •HoFH causes dangerously high LDL cholesterol (often >400 mg/dl from birth), leading to early heart disease and reduced life expectancy (median 33 years if untreated).
- •The procedure reduced LDL from 500 mg/dl to 40 mg/dl in one session; however, repeated treatments every 2–4 weeks are required lifelong.
- •Each session costs ₹70,000, and while covered under Kerala’s KASP for BPL patients, long-term affordability remains a concern.
Thiruvananthapuram-based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has achieved a significant medical milestone by performing the state’s first LDL (low-density lipoprotein) apheresis procedure on a 34-year-old woman diagnosed with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder.
Led by a multidisciplinary team comprising Dr. Harikrishnan S., Professor (Senior Grade) in Cardiology, Dr. Manish Yadav from the Department of Cardiology, and Dr. Amita R., Additional Professor in Transfusion Medicine, the procedure was conducted to address dangerously high cholesterol levels that had persisted despite aggressive medication. HoFH is characterized by extremely elevated LDL cholesterol—often exceeding 400 mg/dl from birth—which leads to premature heart disease, including myocardial infarction (heart attack) as early as the second decade of life. Without treatment, the median life expectancy for individuals with HoFH is just 33 years.
