Occasional screening for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)—a genetic disorder that causes high cholesterol—could identify approximately 1 million Americans at risk of premature heart attack[5]. People with one gene that causes high cholesterol have about a 20-fold higher risk of heart attack, and it occurs 10 to 15 years earlier than the general population[5]. Combined screening involving clinical tests and genetic testing could identify up to 1.1 million cases of FH[5]. However, a modeling study by Columbia University and Harvard University found that genetic screening of children and young adults alone is currently too expensive to implement[4]. The study suggests that screening would become cost-effective if it led to more intensive monitoring and lifestyle changes for all persons with high cholesterol, not just those with the genetic mutation[4]. Genetic testing for FH has a positive effect on initiation of cholesterol-lowering therapy, adherence to therapy, and reduction in LDL cholesterol levels[3].