An increased cholesterol level is one of the key risks to develop cardiovascular diseases, and a hereditary metabolic disorder is particularly dangerous, which is something 20,000 people in Croatia suffer from, but is recognized in only one per cent of cases, it was said on Monday on the occasion of World Heart Day.

This year’s World Heart Day, marked on 29 September, is dedicated to the influence of bad cholesterol, or an increased LDL-cholesterol on cardiovascular health, which was the topic of a round table held by the Croatian Cardiological Association on Monday.

They warned that heart and vascular system diseases are the leading cause of death in European countries, accounting for 30 to 50 per cent.

An increased cholesterol level is not rare in the general population and it leads to a large number of people becoming ill and dying from complications, such as heart attack or brain hemorrhage.

Metabolic fat disorders can be hereditary. This then refers to family hypercholesterolemia, a genetic mutation that can be inherited not just in the family but from close relatives too with the system being exposed from birth to high LDL cholesterol values.

These patients have a 20 times greater risk of becoming ill or dying from atherosclerosis diseases and it could affect very young, healthy-looking and vital people without any symptoms.

An estimated 20,000 people in Croatia suffer from a hereditary fat metabolic disorder, but it is recognized in only one per cent of these people.