23andMe® Health + Ancestry Service customers genotyped on the most current version of our genotyping chip are eligible to receive a bundle of new Heart Health Reports through our 23andMe+ Membership.
However, customers who have a variant detected in 23andMe's Familial Hypercholesterolemia Genetic Health Risk report will not receive the LDL Cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease Health Predisposition Reports*.
If you have a variant linked to familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), the LDL Cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease Health Predisposition Reports are not provided to you. Having a variant linked to FH puts you at increased risk of having very high LDL cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk for early heart disease (including coronary artery disease) if not appropriately treated. This is the case regardless of your potential genetic results for the LDL Cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease Reports.
If you have a variant detected in the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Genetic Health Risk* Report, it's important for you to talk with a healthcare professional about cholesterol screening and management, so you can manage your risk for heart disease.
What is the difference between the LDL Cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease Reports (which are powered by 23andMe Research) and the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Genetic Health Risk* Report?
The LDL Cholesterol Report provides information about genetic likelihood of developing high LDL cholesterol based on genetic variants at more than 2,900 places in your DNA. These genetic variants are common, and they each have a small impact on LDL cholesterol levels. The LDL Cholesterol report estimates the chances of developing high LDL cholesterol based on a person's unique combination of these common genetic variants, which are combined into a genetic score. People with a high genetic score are more likely to develop high LDL cholesterol than people with a lower genetic score.
The Coronary Artery Disease Report uses a similar methodology as the LDL Cholesterol Report, providing information about genetic likelihood for coronary artery disease based on genetic variants at more than 2,400 places in your DNA.
In contrast, the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Genetic Health Risk* Report looks at a small number of genetic variants, but each individual variant has a large impact on the risk of having very high levels of LDL cholesterol. People with a variant linked to familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) are at increased risk of developing very high LDL cholesterol, which increases the risk for early heart disease if not appropriately treated.
Scientists are working to better understand the impact of common, small-effect variants (like the ones in the LDL Cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease reports) on LDL cholesterol levels and the chances of developing heart disease in people who have a variant linked to FH. We're keeping a close eye on that research as it progresses.
*23andMe health predisposition reports include both reports that meet FDA requirements for genetic health risks and reports which are based on 23andMe research and have not been reviewed by the FDA. The test uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks. It is not intended to diagnose any disease. Your ethnicity may affect the relevance of each report and how your genetic health risk results are interpreted. Each genetic health risk report describes if a person has variants associated with a higher risk of developing a disease, but does not describe a person’s overall risk of developing the disease. The test is not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions, including whether or not you should take a medication, how much of a medication you should take, or determine any treatment. For important information and limitations regarding each genetic health risk report, visit 23andme.com/test-info/.