25,000 a year born with cholesterol disease in Belgium

About one in 450 babies in Belgium is born with so-called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) annually, according to two professors who have launched a campaign to draw attention to the issue. FH is a genetic disorder characterised by high cholesterol levels.

Only about 4% of Belgian residents with the disease are aware of their condition. Many have high levels of LDL cholesterol, considered high at 115 mg/dl. But FH patients have even higher levels since birth, with values between 250 and 400 mg/dl in the blood.

Patients don’t notice these high cholesterol values, but they lead to accelerated cardiovascular diseases, as early as the age of 30. The disease, caused by a disruption of the bodily mechanism that normally breaks down cholesterol, is hereditary: If one parent has it, the chances are 50% that a child will be born with it.

To raise awareness, Olivier Descamps of the Université Catholique de Louvain and Ghent University cardiologist Ernst Rietzschel have established the patients association BELCHOL. “Too few people recognise the signs,” said Rietzschel. “They don’t realise the danger when family members have high cholesterol levels and heart problems at an early age.”

Rietzschel said that if one family member tests high in cholesterol, the whole family should be tested. If FT is detected early, treatment and a healthy lifestyle can lead to a normal life expectancy.