Early mortality in children with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: Case reports of deaths at ages 5 and 7 and a systematic review of global evidence.

Summary: Imagine a child having a heart attack at just 5 years old. Sadly, this happens in children born with a rare genetic condition called Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH). This condition causes extremely high, dangerous cholesterol levels right from birth. This study looked at two young children who died from this disease, along with similar cases from around the world. The children had massive amounts of bad cholesterol (LDL) and physical signs like fatty skin bumps. The main problem? These kids are diagnosed too late and don't get strong enough medicine to lower their cholesterol. Doctors need to catch this disease early and treat it aggressively to save these young lives.