Hundreds of Sofia citizens queued Saturday to take a free cholesterol test.

The campaign called "High cholesterol kills! Have you checked yours?" is aimed at cholesterol lowering. It is a joint initiative of the Union of the cardiologists in Bulgaria and the Association for overweight problems.

There is an increasing number of Bulgarians suffering from excessive rates of cholesterol, cardiologists say, but the problem is in the scarcity of information on this issue.

Organisers of the campaign explained they were prompted to make this step as Bulgaria's death rate ranks second highest in Europe. Half of the Bulgarian population over the age of 50 suffer hypertonia - a precondition for high cholesterol level.

Raising cholesterol levels may lead to cardiac problems, doctors warned.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!