National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Familial HDL deficiency



Other Names:
Hypoalphalipoproteinemia, familial; FHA; High density lipoprotein deficiency; Hypoalphalipoproteinemia, familial; FHA; High density lipoprotein deficiency; HDLD; Hypoalphalipoproteinemia, primary; FHD See More
Categories:

Familial HDL deficiency is a rare genetic condition that causes low levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL) in the blood. HDL helps remove excess cholesterol and fats from your blood. People with familial HDL deficiency may develop cardiovascular disease at a relatively young age, often before age 50. This condition is caused by changes in the ABCA1 or the APOA1 genes. The deficiency is passed through families in an autosomal dominant pattern.[1]

More severely reduced levels of HDL in the blood is a characteristic feature of a related disorder called Tangier disease.
Last updated: 1/19/2016

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abnormality of the liver
Abnormal liver
Liver abnormality
[ more ]
0001392
Anemia
Low number of red blood cells or hemoglobin
0001903
Blurred vision 0000622
Corneal opacity 0007957
Decreased HDL cholesterol concentration
Decreased circulating high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
Decreased HDL cholesterol
Low HDL-cholesterol
[ more ]
0003233
EMG abnormality 0003457
Hemiplegia/hemiparesis
Paralysis or weakness of one side of body
0004374
Lymphadenopathy
Swollen lymph nodes
0002716
Splenomegaly
Increased spleen size
0001744
Xanthomatosis
Yellow bumps of fatty deposits on skin
0000991
1%-4% of people have these symptoms
Premature coronary artery atherosclerosis
Premature coronary artery disease
0005181
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Myocardial infarction
Heart attack
0001658
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
The differential diagnosis includes Tangier disease, LCAT deficiency (see these terms) and secondary causes of extremely low HDL cholesterol levels that include medications (androgenic steroids, paradoxical response to fibrates) and malignancies.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Familial HDL deficiency. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

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  1. Familial HDL Deficiency. Genetics Home Reference. November 2012; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/familial-hdl-deficiency. Accessed 1/19/2016.