Gestational hypercholesterolemia helps detect familial hypercholesterolemia and prevent late pregnancy complications

Introduction: In this retrospective study, we comment on the cause and diagnostic potential of the elevated serum total cholesterol and some non-cholesterol sterols in a population of healthy pregnant women from Prague, Czech Republic. Methods: Based on a total of 21,000 clinical biochemistry tests of healthy pregnant women with hypercholesterolemia observed during pregnancy, a testing group of 84 women with a total cholesterol (TC) above 7.0 mmol/l was established to analyze their non-cholesterol sterols (NCS) by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry. Lathosterol (Lat) and desmosterol (Des) were evaluated as markers of endogenous cholesterol synthesis, whereas campesterol (Cam) and sitosterol (Sit) were analysed as markers of intestinal absorption. Results: In the basic population, the frequency of gestational hypercholesterolemia with the serum TC levels > 7.0mmol/l was 1 to 136.The mean values were: TC 6.8 mmol/l, LDL-C 4.6 mmol/l, and HDL-C 2.2 mmol/l. In the selected testing group of 84, the mean values were: Lat 7.8+/-1.7 μmol/l, Des 4.7+/-0.9 μmol/l, Cam 9.8+/-2.6 μmol/l, and Sit 9.6+/-3.8 μmol/l. Lat correlated with TC (r = 0.53), LDL-C (r = 0.36), and non-HDL-C (r = 0.35). No such correlations were observed for Cam or Sit. Conclusion: Our fi ndings prove that gestational hypercholesterolemia is caused by increased endogenous cholesterol synthesis via lathosterol. Subsequently, we demonstrate how a single cholesterol test taken in the fi fth to sixth month gestation can effi ciently help detect familial hypercholesterolemia, and prevent related late pregnancy circulatory complications. Research Article Gestational hypercholesterolemia helps detect familial hypercholesterolemia and prevent late pregnancy complications Josef Hyánek1* František Pehal1, Kseniya Dryahina2, Ladislava Dubská1, Blanka Míková1, Lada Gombíková1, Miroslav Průcha1, Stanislav Kubů3, Petra Haláčková3 and Jaroslav Feyreisl3 1Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Hematology and Immunology, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic 2Department of Chemistry of Ions in Gaseous Phase, J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic 3Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Central Laboratories, The Institute for the Care of Mother and Child, Prague, Czech Republic *Address for Correspondence: Josef Hyánek, Metabolická ambulance OKBHI Nemocnice Na Homolce, Roentgenova 2, 150 30 Praha 5, Czech Republic, Tel: +420 603 440 013; Email: josef.hyanek@homolka.cz Submitted: 25 June 2019 Approved: 01 July 2019 Published: 02 July 2019 Copyright: © 2019 Hyánek J, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited