Segment 1 Opening titles include scenes of crowded London streets, traffic, pollution, fatty food frying, callipers measuring skin fat and a blood pressure gauge. Professor June Lloyd introduces the programme, then is shown seated at a table with Joan Slack. Slack talks about the increased risk of coronary disease in families of coronary patients; she shows the statistics for this in a table comparing male and female patients. She then refers to twin studies to show the genetic background to coronary disease; the results show an increased risk amongst females with a family history of coronary disease. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:05:06:13 Length: 00:05:06:13
Segment 2 Slack explains the theory of inheritance of total liability to a common disorder, drawing on a diagram as she goes. She explains also the concept of heritability and points out that other factors need to be considered when looking at family studies, such as environmental factors. Slack shows a chart listing environmental factors that may be passed on through family influence such as obesity and smoking. Time start: 00:05:06:13 Time end: 00:09:11:13 Length: 00:04:05:00
Segment 3 Slack talks about lipid levels as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. She shows a diagram from the National Pooling Project which shows the distribution of cholesterol levels in the American population and plots it against coronary disease; those with familial hypercholesterolaemia are at much greater risk of coronary death than those without the condition. Time start: 00:09:11:13 Time end: 00:14:09:00 Length: 00:04:57:12
Segment 4 Slack and Lloyd discuss the possibility of a screening test for familial hypercholesterolaemia. Lloyd talks about the value of testing newborn infants for cholesterol levels. She feels that population screening is not an option but screening among families with a known history of coronary heart disease may prove very valuable. She shows a diagram of a family tree and gives an account of a family with a history of hypercholesterolaemia. How young should a child be when treatment starts? Lloyd suggests that cholesterol serum lowering drugs could be given from 1 year upwards but that diet must also be monitored. Time start: 00:14:09:00 Time end: 00:19:51:19 Length: 00:05:42:19
Segment 5 Lloyd shows a chart detailing the degree of reduction of serum cholesterol concentration in children treated with diet or with cholestyramine without diet. Both were effective, with cholestyramine slightly more so. She points out that children often get bored with the diet as they get older; the fall off rate for those taking cholestyramine is much lower. Time start: 00:19:51:19 Time end: 00:25:10:15 Length: 00:05:18:51
Segment 6 A short film is shown in which Lloyd sits with a young girl as she mixes her medicine into a glass of Pepsi. Lloyd, to camera, explains that this was staged as an illustration to show how difficult it can be to get young children to take medicine on a regular basis for a long period of time. Lloyd then summarises the programme with four points: that coronary heart disease runs in families, that families with coronary heart disease history should be assessed, that children in particular in these families should be focused on and that any other factors contributing to the possibility of future heart disease should also be treated. Time start: 00:25:10:15 Time end: 00:29:41:09 Length: 00:04:30:19