I Have High Cholesterol. Will My Children Have it Too?

Although Rare, Some Children Can Have High Cholesterol, Too

(LifeWire) - If you have high cholesterol, you may be wondering whether it can also affect your children. Will your child have it too?

Yes, high cholesterol can be inherited. A number of specific medical conditions can result, ranging from the more common (such as familial combined hyperlipidemia) to the very rare (such as Tangier disease). All these conditions are passed down through families, and all are caused by genetic mutations that negatively affect cholesterol profiles.

Familial hypercholesterolemia results in a person having high levels of "bad cholesterol," or LDL, and is caused by a mutation in chromosome 19. Approximately 1 in every 500 people inherit this problem, in which the body is unable to remove the LDL from the bloodstream.

The most common cholesterol disorder, familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH), affects 1 to 2% of the population. It causes increased blood fats and, most likely, early heart attacks. The specific mutation that causes FCH is unknown.

For all of the cholesterol disorders, the treatment is fairly similar -- lifestyle modifications, such as dietary changes and exercise, followed by possible drug therapy. A good first step to take is to avoid sources of dietary cholesterol found in animal products, such as meat, eggs and dairy.

In very rare cases, two copies of a defective gene may be passed on; the result may be a medical condition so serious that a surgical intervention, such as a liver transplant, may have to be considered.

For more on hereditary cholesterol disorders, see:

Familial hypercholesterolemia

Familial combined hyperlipidemia

Familial dysbetalipoproteinemia

Tangier disease (or hypolipoproteinemia)

It is not likely that your child will inherit high cholesterol if you don't have a family history of hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol levels), but high cholesterol could still result if you pass on unhealthy lifestyle habits that may have caused your current situation.

It is very important for you to do everything you can to reduce your own risk of coronary heart disease right now.

Healthy lifestyle changes will help you, but they will also set a good example for your child. Immediate steps you can take include increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables, exercising and quitting smoking if you currently do smoke.

According to the American Heart Association, atherosclerosis begins in childhood and gets worse as we age -- modified, of course, by the steps we take to avoid it.

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