San Miguel de Salinas,inland from Torrevieja is a town where the incidence of high blood cholesterol levels is much higher than the national average and it is thought that there is  a genetic mutation in the town which is the cause.Now more than 200 people are participating in a study which is focused on the issue.The Fundacion de Hipercolesterolemia Familiar has responded to a request from a family where the cholesterol levels are particularly high and they will work with Torrevieja hospital to try to get to the bottom of the problem.

Already they know that 70% of the 200 guinea pigs suffer the mutation,which is a very high rate.This mutation increases the rates of cholesterol in the blood and causes premature heart attacks.They think the mutation occured several centuries ago and it may only have required one man or woman to have passed it on down the years.Normally mutations do not always get into the population as they are lethal.This particular person has passed it on down the generations because they have stayd in the same town.The individuals would have lived long enough to pass it on to their offspring before possibly dying prematurely themselves.