Hereditary high blood cholesterol is overlooked and undertreated in almost every country of the world, despite the fact that it is easy to diagnose and treat, according to a new report.

Hereditary high blood cholesterol, known as familial hypercholesterolaemia, leads to premature heart disease. Up to 34 million people worldwide are estimated to have the condition, including up to 4.5 million in Europe.

However, according to the report's leading author, in most countries, the number of people with the condition is unknown.

"This means that the condition is not detected until the person develops heart disease or dies suddenly far too young. Considering how easily the disease can be prevented, this situation is an admission of failure from a health perspective," said Prof Børge Nordestgaard, chief physician at Copenhagen University Hospital.

He pointed out that in the general population, between one in 200 and one in 500 people inherit this condition, making it ‘the most frequent hereditary and fatal disease'.

"However, statins, which are safe and inexpensive treatments, can lower cholesterol levels. For these persons with a greatly increased risk of developing serious heart disease, the few side-effects associated with statins are negligible," he commented.

The report emphasises that familial hypercholesterolaemia is easy to diagnose - a blood cholesterol test and a family history of early-onset heart disease is all that is required.

Cholesterol levels above 8mmol/L in adults and above 6mmol/L in children indicate that the condition may be present and this can then be confirmed by a gene test.

"It is surprising and sad that even rich countries with highly developed health systems fail to help these people. It is not a question of economic resources, as the disease is easy to diagnose and inexpensive to treat," commented one of the report's co-authors, Prof John Chapman, of the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital in Paris.

The report said that a coordinated national effort is required to tackle this disease. Clinics, similar to diabetes clinics, should be established in all major hospitals in most countries, it added.

The report was published in the European Heart Journal.

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