Key Takeaways

Many people don’t know they have a genetic risk factor for high cholesterol

Nearly 90% of people carrying variants for familial hypercholesterolemia didn’t know it

Researchers say 1 in 5 had already developed heart disease

FRIDAY, Nov. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Most folks with genetics that put them at risk for high cholesterol and early heart disease aren’t aware of their danger, a new study says.

Nearly 90% of people carrying genetics that cause dangerously high cholesterol — an inherited condition called familial hypercholesterolemia — were not aware of their risk, researchers recently reported in journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine .

These folks learned of their condition thanks to DNA testing conducted as part of a Mayo Clinic research study,

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