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Majority of inherited raised cholesterol cases 'remain undiagnosed'
February 22, 2012
A national charity has called for a testing programme to identify people with an inherited condition called FH, which greatly increased the risk of untimely death from heart disease.
The majority of people with a form of inherited raised cholesterol called familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) do not realise they have the condition, a charity has said.
One in 500 people has the condition, which increases the risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease when left untreated.
But according to Heart UK, 80 to 85 per cent of cases of FH remain undiagnosed.
The charity is calling for a national programme of testing to identify those at risk of developing heart disease as a result of the condition.
It has presented a report at Westminster on the subject, which claims that a national testing programme would save both lives and money, as fewer people would need to be treated for chronic heart disease in the future.
Jules Payne, Heart UK's chief executive, said: "It is shocking that English health authorities are not taking FH testing as seriously as they could, particularly when a national programme would save lives and save money.
"With effective, affordable means of diagnosing and treating FH readily available, this cycle of early deaths must be stopped."
FH occurs when a defect is present in the receptor that allows low-density lipoprotein (LDL or 'bad cholesterol') to be cleared from the bloodstream.
This causes LDL to accumulate in the blood and artery walls, leading to hardening of the arteries and vascular disease.
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