What is the family history of high cholesterol?

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH for short) is an inherited condition which can lead to extremely high cholesterol levels. It’s passed down through families in the genes. Without treatment, FH can lead to heart disease at a very young age.

How much of high cholesterol is genetic?

When It’s in Your Genes Almost 1 in 3 adults has high cholesterol. Only 1 in 300 people has familial hypercholesterolemia. Anyone who has one of the 1,500 possible gene variants that cause the condition has a 50\% chance of passing that gene on to their children.

What does high cholesterol do to a person?

Your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, but high levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits grow, making it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries.

What triggers cholesterol?

Your liver produces cholesterol, but you also get cholesterol from food. Eating too many foods that are high in fat can increase your cholesterol level. Being overweight and inactive also causes high cholesterol. If you are overweight, you most likely have a higher level of triglycerides.

Can high cholesterol run in families?

For some people, high blood levels of cholesterol come from a diet that’s high in saturated fat and animal products, but for others, high cholesterol is genetic: It runs in the family. In addition to getting cholesterol from dietary sources like meat and dairy, our bodies make cholesterol, too.

What does it mean when your cholesterol is high?

If your total cholesterol level is high because of a high LDL level, you may be at higher risk of heart disease or stroke. But, if your total cholesterol level is high only because of a high HDL level, you’re probably not at higher risk. Triglycerides are another type of fat in your blood.

Can high cholesterol levels be determined by genetics?

A high cholesterol level at a young age is a particular red flag that you may have FH. If your doctor suspects you have the condition, you can undergo genetic testing to confirm the diagnosis. Are there any treatments for high cholesterol levels caused by genetics?

What does a family history of high blood pressure mean?

A family history of high blood pressuremeans you have someone in your family (a blood relative such as a mother, father, sister, or brother) who has or had high blood pressure before the age of 60. The more family members you have with high blood pressure before the age of 60, the stronger the family history of high blood pressure.

Why is too much LDL cholesterol bad for You?

This explains why too much LDL cholesterol is bad for the body, and why a high level of HDL cholesterol is good. For example, if your total cholesterol level is high because of a high LDL level, you may be at higher risk of heart disease or stroke.