What is Familial Hypercholesterolaemia?

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH for short) is an inherited condition which can lead to extremely high cholesterol levels. It's passed down through families in the genes.
Without treatment, FH can lead to heart disease at a very young age. But once it's been diagnosed, it can be treated with medicines and a healthy lifestyle.
Even if you have a very healthy lifestyle your cholesterol can be high with FH, and can become much higher than in other people. That's because FH affects the way cholesterol is broken down in the body.