A recent report from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) stated many more people in the UK are at risk for early heart attacks than previously thought. The culprit? High cholesterol. And not the kind of cholesterol that can be lowered by laying off the cheeseburgers.

This high cholesterol is caused by an inherited gene that causes heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH).

Even worse, the majority of people who have the faulty gene have no idea how high their cholesterol is, and that HeFH can shave 20 to 30 years off their life expectancy as their arteries slowly clog.

Approximately 250,000 people have HeFH, and if they were treated for it, 25,000 lives could be saved. As it stands, only 20,000 are currently treated. That number jumps to 625,000 in the United States.

The BHF is now calling for the National Health Service to initiate a country-wide testing program for the families affected. Statins, which are cholesterol-lowering drugs, can be prescribed for adults and children over the age of 10 years old.

The BHF has been frustrated by the slow response of the NHS in setting up testing programs, but they are continuing to raise awareness and are now providing funding for a number of NHS testing sites.

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