cholesterol

[beauty2010]

high cholesterol in grandmother
Hi
I am a 47year old woman whose mother had a cholesterol of between 9 and 10 (UK values) twenty years ago. My mother is on statins and doing well at 78 years old.
My cholesterol has always been around 5.4 (just above recommended, but average for the population)
My questions is whether I should ask for my teenage children to be tested. I always assumed that as mine was OK, my kids would be fine as familial hypercholesterolaemia is autosomal dominant.
My mother was an only child, but her mother had strokes from the age of 70. Her father died at about 70 years old, but I am not sure as to cause.
Any advice would be good. It is not always easy to get teenagers to have tests, and I would need to know that the test was really necessary before going ahead.
Many thanks
B

[utilaman]

I wouldn't do that!  
And your cholesterol will get bad once you go through menopause.    Women die of heart attack in their 80's while men die in their 40's so feel blessed that you still have some estrogen.    Once menopause is over, supplement with DHEA to increase your estrogen.

[ed34]

"Without a clear history of familial hypercholesterolemia"

You do know that you can only go back one generation in history? It wasn't even realised high cholesterol could be inherited until 1938 when Dr C. Müller found the association. So how you can really see if there is a clear history is impossible. The genetic link wasn't discovered until the 70's.

It is cost effective to the health service to have screening over the age of 16 and can save many lives. I had my Son done at the age of 18 and his cholesterol was low, mine was 9.
The mutation in the genes for FH is quite complicated, and not simply a matter of what you stated. There are a few gene mutations which can cause variations of FH and affect the way the disease is passed on. For example, if the gene LDLRAP1 is affected, then the disease is autosomal recessive. This means either parent (with the defective gene) could carry the disease but have normal cholesterol. Their children could see the disease flare up and cause atherosclerosis. I believe 3 genes have been identified thus far, but it's believed there are more and research is continuing.

[CCFHeartMD 15]

Hello. Without a clear history of familial hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease at early age (stroke or heart attacks) in 1st degree relatives, indication of cholesterol testing is not usually recommended. The interventions are more oriented to risk factors modification like decreasing weight; aerobic exercise; decreasing foods w/ high content of cholesterol and carbohydrates; and increasing fish, nuts, olive oil, cereal, vegetables and fruits intake. If your kids have an increased risk for high cholesterol (i.e. obesity) it would be reasonable to measure the cholesterol, to define how aggressive has to be the intervention. Good luck.