If you suspect FH, you should schedule an appointment with your family physician or a lipid specialist. During the appointment, you will be asked to provide information about your family medical history and also any medications that you are taking.
Your healthcare practitioner will then evaluate you to confirm if you have FH. The assessment will include a diet history, a smoking history, an extensive family history, a physical examination including blood pressure measurement, and a blood test. For your family history, you will need to know if any of your blood relatives have high cholesterol levels, or if they have experienced a heart attack or have coronary heart disease (CHD). In particular, you will need to know at what age your relatives developed a heart condition. Your health practitioner will also want to know if anyone in your family has died from CHD and at what age.
