22 million Mexicans with cholesterol

• April 18, 2024

It's called "prevention" and it can be the difference between life and death. Official figures estimate that in Mexico more than 22 million people have high cholesterol levels, but only 10% know it. The rest ignores that the high concentration of this substance increases the risk of suffering myocardial infarction Y cerebrovascular accidents .

In this regard, Dr. Ivonne Mejía Rodríguez, head of the Health Department of the Integrated Health Programs Coordination of the IMSS, confirms this and points out that the levels of high cholesterol concentration, also known as hypercholesterolemia , over time, cause narrowing and hardening of the arteries, which significantly increases the risk of suffering such ailments.

In the opinion of the specialist, the deposit of fat in the blood vessels can be observed even from childhood, but it is in adult life when there are greater dangers.

According to Dr. Mejía, most people think that the atherosclerosis it only affects middle-aged men, but the truth is that it occurs in both men and women.

Chip to detect high cholesterol

In some countries, such as Spain, there is already a chip capable of simultaneously and quickly comparing a sample of blood or saliva with more than hundreds of genetic mutations, to detect high levels of cholesterol and to prevent early death by heart attack or stroke .

In the mildest form of the disease, those who suffer hypercholesterolemia family have total cholesterol levels up to two and three times higher than the normal value.

The biochip identifies precisely and quickly what genetic mutation causes the LDL cholesterol or "bad" accumulates excessively in the arterial walls.