Read this story below this summer in the Times August 19 2008 and thought it may be of interest to you
Heart risk ten-year-olds to be tested for cholesterol From The Times August 19, 2008
Tens of thousands of young people in Britain are to be screened for a genetic defect that can kill them in their twenties.
Under proposals from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), nationwide testing is to begin to detect those with genes that increase their blood cholesterol and hence their risk of heart disease. The tests, which could cover children as young as 10, will be focused on those whose fathers or mothers are known to have high cholesterol levels.
It is thought that up to 120,000 people in Britain carry genes that cause high cholesterol levels. Carriers run the risk of developing heart disease at a much younger age than other people, and dying from it before they are aware of the risk.
Valuemed have a range of home cholesterol test kit and cholesterol meters