NEW YORK – Singapore's Ministry of Health announced this week it will launch a genetic testing program to improve diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) as part of a broader national focus on preventive care.

纽约——新加坡卫生部本周宣布，将启动一项基因检测计划，以改善家族性高胆固醇血症（FH）的诊断，作为更广泛的国家预防保健重点的一部分。

Through this initiative, the government of Singapore hopes to identify individuals who are at risk for this genetic condition, which causes high cholesterol and heart attacks, and provide them with timely interventions. The Ministry of Health estimates there are 20,000 people in Singapore with FH, who have a 20 times higher risk of heart attacks at a younger age than the general population.

通过这一举措，新加坡政府希望能够识别出有患这种会导致高胆固醇和心脏病发作的遗传病风险的个体，并为他们提供及时的干预。新加坡卫生部估计，新加坡有20,000人患有家族性高胆固醇血症（FH），他们比普通人群在较年轻时心脏病发作的风险高出20倍。

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Doctors can refer their patients who are Singapore citizens and permanent residents and have low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of 5.5 mmol/L or 212 mg/dL or higher for testing under the program. Blood-based genetic tests, as well as pre- and post-test genetic counseling, will be offered at three genomic assessment centers around the country.

医生可以将其符合以下条件的患者转诊至该计划下进行检测：新加坡公民和永久居民，且低密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平为 5.5 mmol/L 或 212 mg/dL 或更高。基于血液的基因检测以及检测前后的遗传咨询将在全国三个基因组评估中心提供。

SingHealth at the National Heart Center will be the first center accepting referrals starting June 30. Two other centers, operated by the National Healthcare Group and the National University Health System, will open after that. .

新加坡健保集团在国家心脏中心的诊所将是首家接受转诊的中心，从 6 月 30 日开始。由国立健保集团和国立大学医院系统运营的另外两个中心将在之后开放。

The cost of the test will be subsidized by 70 percent for citizens and permanent residents, who can expect to pay between S$117 (US$90.97) and S$575. Since FH is an inherited condition, immediate family members will be eligible for cascade genetic testing and can expect to pay between S$53 and S$253 after subsidies.

公民和永久居民的检测费用将获得70%的补贴，预计需支付117新元（90.97美元）至575新元。由于家族性高胆固醇血症（FH）是一种遗传性疾病，直系家属可进行级联基因检测，并在补贴后预计支付53新元至253新元。

Eligible individuals can also leverage their MediSave healthcare benefits to lower test costs. .

符合条件的个人还可以利用他们的保健储蓄医疗福利来降低检测成本。

Those who test positive for FH may be prescribed medication and receive recommendations to make dietary and other lifestyle changes to lower their cholesterol and risk for heart attacks.

检测出FH阳性的人可能会被开具药物，并收到降低胆固醇和心脏病风险的饮食和其他生活方式改变的建议。

Additionally, the Ministry of Health said that although a 2021 moratorium banned life insurance companies in Singapore from using the results from predictive genetic tests to make actuarial decisions, the government worked with the Life Insurance Association Singapore to extend that moratorium to diagnostic genetic tests, as well.

此外，新加坡卫生部表示，虽然 2021 年的暂停令禁止新加坡的人寿保险公司使用预测性基因测试的结果来进行精算决策，但政府与新加坡人寿保险协会合作，将该暂停令的范围扩大到诊断性基因测试。

As such, life insurers won't be able to use the results of the FH genetic tests offered through this program in underwriting decisions, although they can still ask about the conditions individuals have been diagnosed with and their families' history of illness. .

因此，虽然人寿保险公司仍然可以询问个人的诊断状况及其家族病史，但无法在核保决策中使用通过该计划提供的FH基因检测结果。