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Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Familial Hypercholesterolemia
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
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Prevention & Expectations
What can be done to prevent the condition?
An inherited trait cannot be prevented. Genetic counseling may be useful to couples with a family history of the disease.
What are the long-term effects of the condition?
A person with this disease generally develops artery blockages at an early age. For example, by age 50, a person with this condition is 3 to 10 times more likely than normal to have a heart attack. Heart disease, strokes, and other problems may also occur.
Because of the very high risk of heart attacks, diagnosis and treatment should begin as soon as possible.
What are the risks to others?
This condition is inherited and is not contagious. Children and other family members of affected people should have cholesterol screening. Early detection and treatment of this condition may delay the complications.