A health centre has opened to give advice to people suffering from a condition that creates an extremely high risk of heart attack.

The drop-in centre at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, will offer support and advice to people with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH).

FH is a genetic condition that affects one in 500 people in the UK.

It causes high cholesterol levels in sufferers and an extremely high risk of heart attack at a young age.

The opening of the centre was officially launched at Hampstead Town Hall last Tuesday.

Dr Devi Nair, consultant lipidologist at the Royal Free, said: “This is just the beginning and we can now take our essential work forward to patients in a really positive way.”

Everyone has cholesterol in their blood stream and a certain amount is essential for good health.

However, research has shown that the higher your cholesterol level, the higher your risk of a heart attack.

The centre will enable patients and their families to access a range of services to help them manage their conditions, including diet and exercise advice.

Michael Livingston, director of cholesterol charity HEART UK, said: “Our family support centres are the biggest piece of the jigsaw in our battle to raise awareness of inherited high cholesterol conditions.

“From both the patients’ and HEART UK’s point of view this is all about bringing people together and providing the right support from a multiskilled team.”