Rare intracranial cholesterol deposition and a homozygous mutation of LDLR in a familial hypercholesterolemia patient

Abstract

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH MIM# 143890) is one of the most common autosomal inherited diseases. FH is characterized by elevated plasma levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Mutation in the LDLR gene, which encodes the LDL receptor protein, is responsible for most of the morbidity of FH. The incidence of heterozygous FH is about 1/500, whereas the incidence of homozygous FH is only 1/1,000,000 in Caucasian population. In this study, we report a homozygous LDLR mutation (c.298G>A) in a familial hypercholesterolemia patient, who exhibited intracranial cholesterol deposition, which is a rare addition to the common FH phenotypes. The proband's consanguineous parents have the same heterozygous mutation with elevated concentrations of LDL-C but no xanthoma.

Keywords: Cholesterol deposition; Familial hypercholesterolemia; Homozygous mutation; LDLR; Phenotype.