Start Cholesterol Screening Early

 

Cholesterol Screening

Abu Dhabi: High levels of cholesterol and the prevalence of diabetes in the UAE have nearly doubled the risk of heart disease among people in their twenties and thirties, a cardiologist at one of the top hospitals in the capital has warned.

People should start screening their cholesterol from the age of 12 onwards to avoid leaving high cholesterol untreated, Dr Awatif Al Sousi, consultant cardiologist and head of cardiac rehabilitation at the Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), told Gulf News.

“Currently, most facilities screen patients after the age of 15. But over-consumption of fast food and limited physical activity have resulted in even 12-year-olds developing high cholesterol,” Dr Al Sousi said.

She was speaking at a free health screening and counselling initiative organised by the SKMC, which aims to screen the public for risk factors like blood sugar and cholesterol, and offer advice to those at high risk.

High cholesterol (more than 200 mg of cholesterol for every one-tenth of a litre of blood) was a trend that persisted across genders in the UAE, she said. “In fact, I regularly come across people with more than 250 milligrams of cholesterol per one-tenth litres of blood.”

She added: “We already know that 50 per cent of the adult population in the region has high cholesterol. What is worrying is that 40 per cent of 15-year-olds have high cholesterol as well,” Dr Al Sousi added.

Diabetes was the greatest risk factor in terms of cardiovascular disease, followed closely by high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and family history, she said.

“To reduce the risk of heart disease, people should get more physical activity and avoid junk food. Doing so would reduce the levels of bad cholesterol [LDL-C] which tend to accumulate in coronary vessels and lead to heart attacks,” she said.