Screening and management in general practice has the potential for substantial health benefits while requiring relatively modest investments from the health system.

Recent consensus advice on the care of patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) supports improved care of patients with FH in the primary care setting.

Guidelines on assessing and managing lipid disorders are evolving as new knowledge and treatments emerge to help health professionals and patients decide the best course of disease management.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia, an autosomal dominant genetic condition, affects one in 250 people in Australia. Universal genetic screening of newborns for FH should be provided in Australia.

The recent increased public experience with epidemiological concepts such as contact tracing offers new potential to improve detection and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Primary care has much to offer in the future diagnosis and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia, but it requires greater awareness and a better appreciation of cumulative cholesterol burden.

This paper describes the overall number of prescriptions and unique medicines dispensed and costs borne by a cohort of patients treated with lipid-lowering therapy.

Patient health literacy is a barrier to both management of familial hypercholesterolaemia and cascade testing.