Lipid clinic

Specialist high cholesterol treatment and testing

Our team at the Royal Free London lipid clinic tests patients to see if they have a genetic cholesterol disorder and they assess their risk of premature heart disease. 

Patients attending the Royal Free lipid clinic receive a comprehensive assessment by our team, which involves taking a medical history, physical examinations and cholesterol blood tests.

The lipid clinic works collaboratively with each patient to achieve normal cholesterol levels through a combination of lifestyle changes and cholesterol medication.

The Royal Free lipid clinic is based on the first floor of the Royal Free Hospital, in the out-patient department. There is also an outreach lipid clinic at the Edgware Community Hospital.

Specialist lipid clinics at the Royal Free Hospital

The Royal Free Hospital also offers a range of specialist clinics to treat the complex lipid and cholesterol problems that our patients face, and help our patients achieve normal cholesterol levels.

These clinics are:

Primary hyperlipidaemia lipid clinic

Hyperlipidaemia is an inherited disorder that affects the metabolism or proteins in the body and is associated with abnormally high cholesterol. This lipid clinic specialises in the treatment of this disorder, which is commonly caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia lipid clinic

Familial hypercholesterolaemia is a genetic disorder characterised by high cholesterol levels. It’s caused by an abnormal gene. This faulty gene results in exceptionally high cholesterol levels that are present from birth and continue throughout life. Affected and untreated men have a greater than 50% risk of coronary heart disease by the age of 50 years – and affected women have a greater than 30% by the age of 60 years.

This cholesterol disorder is surprisingly common and many people with it are undiagnosed. Only 15,000 cases are known out of 120,000 people who may have the disease. Early identification leads to better care and outcomes. Patients with this disorder can attend this lipid clinic and a genetic screening clinic is run as part of the family support centre – offering DNA tests and cascade screening for families who fit our criteria.

Outreach lipid clinic

The outreach lipid clinic at the Edgware Community Hospital is run weekly on Friday afternoon and provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment services for adults with cholesterol disorders. 

HIV lipid clinic

People with HIV may experience high cholesterol as a side effect of their medications. The dedicated HIV lipid clinic provides a consultant led comprehensive service for patients on antiretroviral drugs experiencing cholesterol problems.

Family Support Centre

The Royal Free Hospital was one of the first hospitals to open a family support centre for people with inherited cholesterol disorders.