High cholesterol in children
The first tests do perform from birth and if they came back abnormal, in addition to having a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol, the recommended treatment is to have a balanced diet and exercise routine. From last month the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommended screening all children for high cholesterol before the age of 11.
From the time they exit the womb, American children are tested. It begins with the neonatal heel prick, which draws blood to test for phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, and an array of other conditions. The testing continues as the child grows: hearing tests, blood lead levels, scoliosis. Now the list will include yet another item: Last month, a panel convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommended screening all children for high cholesterol before the age of 11. The American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed the recommendation, ensuring that doctors will take note.
The rationale for the panel’s new guidelines is that kids with high cholesterol generally go on to become adults with high cholesterol, and it’s better to detect and address the problem early rather than waiting several decades to do something about it. But are these tests really necessary? Will the screenings make kids healthier, or just burden them (and the health care system) with another routine procedure?
One thing’s certain—the new guidelines mark a clear departure from what came before. Recommendations issued in 1992 advised screenings only for children with a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol. Kids who tested abnormally would be prescribed diet and exercise, or a drug if those didn’t help. But cholesterol testing has never before been advised for all children, and the new guideline represents a staggering reduction—by nearly three decades—in the age at which the average person would receive his or her first cholesterol… continue reading
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