People should start checking their blood cholesterol levels from the age of 18 to encourage them to take ownership and responsibility for the state of their health, according to a cardiologist. 

“This will help ingrain the mentality that: you are now an adult, and you are responsible for your health. Unfortunately, since we were once a colony here in Malta we still suffer from the mentality where we expect others to do things for us. But looking after our health is our own responsibility,” said D Robert Xuereb, who chairs Mater Dei Hospital’s Department of Cardiology.

He was speaking during a media breakfast held to mark World Heart Day today. The meeting was hosted by Novartis Pharma Services and organised by Times Events, to launch an awareness campaign about Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) which is a type of cardiovascular disease.

ASCVD is defined as the accumulation of fatty material in the internal surface of the artery and is responsible for 85% of cardiovascular deaths - the leading cause of death globally and in Malta. Xuereb said that, each year, 18 million people died globally from cardiovascular disease, whereas less that 4.5 million died of COVID-19. 

In Malta, one third of deaths are linked to cardiovascular  disease. Two in five deaths can be attributed to behavioural risk factors that include tobacco use, high alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet and low physical activity.

Professor Stephen Fava

Xuereb and Professor Steven Fava, chairman of the Department of Medicine, explained that high levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, known as bad cholesterol, are a major risk factor. They spoke about the need to educate the public to improve their lifestyle and eating habits. They also mentioned the need for policymakers to make necessary changes to encourage these changes in habit, such as having more open spaces where people can exercise.