Print This Post

Statins Recommended for Kids’ Cholesterol

In a move sure to stir controversy, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended on Monday that a more aggressive approach to treating high cholesterol in children should be implemented, even if it means prescribing cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

The AAP is calling for more widespread screening for cholesterol levels in children of all ages and is recommending the use of statins in children 8 years or older when cholesterol levels are high and other risk factors for heart disease in adulthood are present. The academy estimates that about 30% of the nation’s children are overweight or obese and 30% to 60% of them are likely to have dangerously high levels of cholesterol that is going undetected and untreated.

Before beginning drug therapy, the academy urges pediatricians and parents to try to lower a child’s weight and cholesterol level by more natural means, such as a regimen of healthy diet and exercise lasting 6 to 12 months. An additional recommendation is that children be fed only low-fat milk after the age of 12 months when the potential for excess weight in the future is of concern.

These recommendations were published in Pediatrics, the medical journal for this medical specialty. The academy recommends screening children between the ages of 2 and 10 when family history reveals high cholesterol or heart attacks occurring at an early age (age 55 for men and 65 for women). When family history is not known or when other risk factors, such as passing the 185th percentile for weight or diabetes, are involved, routine screening is recommended.

Children and adolescents with normal levels of cholesterol should be tested every three to five years. The academy considers 190 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of “bad,” or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) the mark for concern for children age 8 and older when there is an absence of family history of heart disease. When family history reveals heart disease or two risk factors other than cholesterol count alone, the academy suggests aggressive treatment when cholesterol is measured at 160 mg/dL. Children with diabetes may benefit from drug therapy at the 130 mg/dL mark.

According to the academy’s newest guidelines, the goal should be lowering LDL to 160 mg/dL when no other risk factors are present and 110mg/dL when obesity, family history, and other risk factors are present.

Statins first hit the market in the mid-1980s, too soon to provide evidence that prescribing them for children does, in fact, reduce the child’s risk for developing heart disease once he or she reaches middle age.

• Horny Goat Weed Vies With Viagra
• Avoid Vitamin C Supplements During Cancer Therapies
• Recent Mesothelioma Study Shows Promise for Patients
• Teens With Insomnia at Increased Risk for Depression, Suicide, Substance Abuse
• Gentlemen, Keep Those Cellphones Out of Your Pockets
• Voting: Patriotic Health Hazard?
• Popular Supplements Don’t Slow Progression of Osteoarthritis