World Heart Day
Each World Heart Day, we shine a light on an important issue affecting heart patients in Aotearoa, raising awareness and advocating for better access to life-changing treatments and care.
Know Your Numbers (2025)
An estimated 1 in 250 Kiwis have Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH), but less than 2% are diagnosed. FH is an inherited condition that causes dangerously high cholesterol - you could be fit and healthy but still at risk. That's why we're urging everyone to Know Your Numbers this World Heart Day (29 September).
What is Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)?
Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common inherited genetic condition. People with FH are born with dangerously high levels of ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol in the blood from birth, leading to a significantly higher risk of early heart disease.
The risk of heart disease is approx. 20x higher in untreated FH patients. And if a parent has FH, there's a 50% chance their child will inherit it.
You could be at risk of FH if you have:
- Family health history of early heart attacks or heart disease
- Women in your family had heart conditions under 60 years old
- Men in your family had heart conditions under 55 years old
Know Your Numbers
Understanding your cholesterol levels is the first step to knowing if you might have FH.
| Normal range for adults | LDL levels at or above 4.9 mmol/L | If you are at high overall cardiovascular risk, without previous cardiovascular heart disease | If you have had a heart attack or stroke, or have peripheral vascular disease |
|---|---|---|---|
LDL cholesterol should be below 2.6 mmol/L |
May indicate FH |
LDL cholesterol should be below 1.8 mmol/L |
LDL cholesterol should be below 1.4 mmol/L |
“I want to be around for my son” - A solo dad’s fight with FH
Wellington dad Korie Nicol felt healthy, but a routine checkup revealed he had FH.
“I was shocked when my cholesterol came back so high,” says Korie.
“I thought I could manage with diet alone, but FH isn’t like that – it doesn’t go away.”
Within weeks of his 50th birthday, chest pains led to emergency surgery and two stents.