{"id":251375,"date":"2025-09-24T15:29:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T15:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251375\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T15:29:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T15:29:20","slug":"genetic-testing-pilot-aims-to-catch-a-silent-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251375\/","title":{"rendered":"Genetic testing pilot aims to catch a silent killer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>        <a class=\"pp_cb_imagegallery_7494963\" data-sharepath=\"https:\/\/newsroom.osfhealthcare.org\/asset\/72234d1b-8abf-4a6d-af76-3920de162f10\/fheducationmessage\" data-uuid=\"72234d1b-8abf-4a6d-af76-3920de162f10\" data-sourcepath=\"https:\/\/content.presspage.com\/uploads\/1873\/72234d1b-8abf-4a6d-af76-3920de162f10\/fheducationmessage.jpg?10000\" data-uploadid=\"1767798\" data-filename=\"fheducationmessage.jpg\" data-title=\"FH Education Message\" data-description=\"\" data-copyright=\"\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-attr-hash=\"3a3302cdd48919fb1db7238b0a0bad3324f97b24\" href=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1920_fheducationmessage.jpg\">&#13;<br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 51%;\" class=\"pp-inline-image pp-right pp-ml20\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1920_fheducationmessage.jpg\" alt=\"FH Education Message\" title=\"FH Education Message\"\/>   &#13;<\/p>\n<p>                &#13;<br \/>\n                FH Education Message&#13;\n            <\/p>\n<p>          &#13;<br \/>\n         <\/a>        <\/p>\n<p>A potentially life-saving pilot program is launching in Bloomington, Illinois to detect a little-known but surprisingly common genetic condition that can dramatically raise cholesterol levels\u2014and the risk of heart attacks and strokes\u2014even in children.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s called <a href=\"https:\/\/healthlibrary.osfhealthcare.org\/HealthyKidsTeens\/88,p11273\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">familial hypercholesterolemia<\/a>, or FH. It\u2019s estimated that 1 in 200 Americans has the genetic disorder where the body can\u2019t effectively clear LDL or \u2018bad\u2019 cholesterol from the blood.<\/p>\n<p>Darrel Gumm, MD, vice president of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/services\/specialties\/heart\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute<\/a> says the pilot will identify people who, due to their genetics, might not know they are at risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s estimated about 1.3 million people in the United States have it [FH] and 90% of those patients don\u2019t know they have it, Dr. Gumm stresses. \u201cSo, it\u2019s a tremendous opportunity for us to step in and find those patients, identify those patients and provide therapies that may prevent terrible things from happening down the road.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>OSF HealthCare and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=i&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;url=https:\/\/www.osfinnovation.org\/learn\/osfhealthcare-accelerated\/episode-46-the-power-of-personalized-medicine&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjGgKmvxcmPAxUxC3kGHbf2Mi8Qy_kOegQIARAB&amp;opi=89978449&amp;cd&amp;psig=AOvVaw2SAt8Tw5kpWjC4eHURP6bl&amp;ust=1757433840115000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">OSF Innovation<\/a>\u00a0are using artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct a pilot program for detecting and treating FH. To identify high-risk patients for this pilot, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfinnovation.org\/invent\/digital-innovation-development\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Digital Innovation Development<\/a> team used a two-step approach. First, an algorithm flagged patients over the past 18 months who had concerning cholesterol levels. Then, they applied an AI tool to scanned physician notes to detect clues\u2014such as yellowing of the eyes or hardening of the Achilles tendon\u2014signs a doctor may have observed but not flagged as FH-related.<\/p>\n<p>People inherit FH from one or both parents, and it puts them at risk for cardiovascular events far earlier in life than normal, sometimes even in childhood.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Two Types of FH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to Dr. Gumm, there are two kinds of FH:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-list-item-id=\"e28fab0670cfd8b15ed5f7216cb328251\"><strong>Heterozygous FH<\/strong>, inherited from one parent, which can lead to early heart attacks or strokes\u2014before age 65 in women and 55 in men.<\/li>\n<li data-list-item-id=\"e2f763ca65d197a68659137b0a9940bec\"><strong>Homozygous FH<\/strong>, a rarer and more severe form inherited from both parents, which can lead to strokes and heart disease in teenagers or even young children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While most people begin cholesterol screenings around age 40, those with FH can silently develop sky-high levels from a young age.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They can be a very healthy person, think they\u2019re doing great, be a marathon runner and really they could have astronomically high cholesterol that\u2019s not of their fault,\u201d explains Ryan Loudermilk, a strategic program manager in Performance Improvement at OSF Innovation.<\/p>\n<p>The new screening program was launched in Bloomington, starting with support from a strong primary care network involving 9 providers including Richard Ginetti, MD, who is a champion for the effort. It started with 200 patients found to potentially have FH. If testing confirms the diagnosis, individuals will be offered treatment, typically statins, which can reduce cardiovascular risk by up to 80%.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Gumm says every time someone is identified with FH, outreach will occur to encourage screening for parents, siblings, and children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the things I love to tell my patients is the best way to treat a heart attack is not have one. Same thing with a stroke. So, even if they\u2019ve had a heart attack and survived it, now we\u2019re going to be aggressive at not letting the second one occur. But here\u2019s a chance to never let it occur in the first place. It\u2019s primary prevention \u2026 really fantastic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Education in a Short-Attention-Span World<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Understanding FH\u2014and the importance of early detection\u2014isn\u2019t easy in a world flooded with information. That\u2019s why the pilot program teamed with OSF Innovation\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfinnovation.org\/partner\/technology-and-services-exploration\/medical-visualization\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Medical Visualization<\/a><strong> <\/strong>team, to create for people identified at possible risk, mobile-friendly education designed to meet people where they are.<\/p>\n<p>Loudermilk emphasizes it\u2019s not just a brochure. The visuals use a unique, semi-animated shimmer effect that adds emotional weight without overwhelming the viewer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s something that can be easily read on their cell phone; they don\u2019t have to log onto a computer. It\u2019s something that\u2019s eye-catching, something that\u2019s straight to the point \u2013 what your risks are, why it\u2019s important for you to get tested and checked \u2026 thinking about family members, so it speaks to that. It speaks to the ease of this. That\u2019s the other big piece of this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Simple Test with a Big Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The testing process is easy. It\u2019s just a cheek swab with no needles or blood draw. It takes a couple minutes.<\/p>\n<p>The pilot is tracking how many people go on to be screened after the initial outreach with a goal of at least 30%. The initiative will follow not just how many patients test positive, but how many then go on to get family members tested, the true measure of ripple effect success. Additionally, the pilot includes having the Medical Visualization team provide insights about which content drove the most engagement.<\/p>\n<p>The FH pilot is part of a broader effort at OSF HealthCare to advance care through personalized medicine that is specific to a person\u2019s genetic make-up. Loudermilk sees a time in the future where genetic testing will be even easier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere I could see this going \u2013 a patient doesn\u2019t even have to come in. These kits could actually be mailed to them, to their house and they could do the check swab themself and get it mailed in. So, those who don\u2019t want to deal with making an appointment and seeing their provider in person, they could do a virtual visit and have the kit sent to them. That\u2019s the future of all of this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you receive primary care in Bloomington, talk to your provider if you think you would like to be screened for familial hypercholesterolemia.<\/p>\n<p>    &#8216;;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; &#13; &#13; FH Education Message&#13; &#13; A potentially life-saving pilot program is launching in Bloomington, Illinois to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":251376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[22030,691,133126,92745,37356,69932,133123,133135,133124,133125,7979,4373,133128,3736,815,34131,14036,133133,133134,132108,133129,133131,132109,133121,133127,133122,159,35155,133132,67,132,68,133130],"class_list":{"0":"post-251375","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-achilles-tendon","9":"tag-ai","10":"tag-ai-engagement","11":"tag-ai-model","12":"tag-ai-tool","13":"tag-bad-cholesterol","14":"tag-dr-darrel-gumm","15":"tag-dr-richard-ginetti","16":"tag-familial-hypercholesterolemia","17":"tag-fh","18":"tag-genetic","19":"tag-genetic-disorder","20":"tag-genetic-test","21":"tag-genetic-testing","22":"tag-genetics","23":"tag-heart-attack","24":"tag-heart-attacks","25":"tag-heterozygous-fh","26":"tag-homozygous-fh","27":"tag-innovate","28":"tag-ldl","29":"tag-medical-visualization","30":"tag-osf-healthcare","31":"tag-osf-innovation","32":"tag-osf-medical-group","33":"tag-ryan-loudermilk","34":"tag-science","35":"tag-stroke","36":"tag-stroke-risk","37":"tag-united-states","38":"tag-unitedstates","39":"tag-us","40":"tag-yellow-eyes"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}