Heart tests wasted on 'worried well'

Cholesterol testing is not being offered to those most at risk of developing heart disease, says the British Cardiac Society. Instead it is the "worried well" - the health conscious and educated - who are putting doctors under pressure for tests.

A survey carried out in Scotland as part of the Glasgow Monitoring Cardiac Disease Project (Monica) found that three-quarters of patients tested were those considered to be at lowest risk. Coronary heart disease is the single most common cause of death in the industrialised world. A high level of cholesterol in the blood is a significant risk factor.