Cholesterol Screening Is Urged for Young

The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending wider cholesterol screening for children and more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs starting as early as the age of 8 in hopes of preventing attacks.

Previously, the academy had said cholesterol drugs should be considered in children older than 10 if they fail to lose weight after a 6- to 12-month effort. The academy estimated that under the current guidelines, 30 percent to 60 percent of children with high cholesterol were being missed.

Although lifestyle changes are still recommended as the first course of action, drug treatment should be considered for children 8 years and older who have bad cholesterol of 190 milligrams per deciliter and who also have a family history of early heart disease or two additional risk factors, the new recommendations say. The guidelines give no guidance on how long a child should stay on drug treatment. But they do say the first goal should be to lower bad cholesterol levels to less than 160 milligrams or possibly as low as 110 milligrams in children with a strong family history of heart disease or other risk factors like obesity.

Because statins have been around since only the mid-1980s, there is no evidence to show whether giving statins to a child will lower the risk for heart attack in middle age.

Bonnie - unfortunately, outrage is not a strong enough term. While nothing ceases to amaze me anymore, this is something I actually anticipated. Much of the country qualified for statins when the National Cholesterol Education Program reduced optimal cholesterol levels in 2004. It was just a matter of time until it trickled down to children.

What is most egregious about the AAP recommendation is the lack of safety studies done on children and statins. It is one thing not to perform long-term studies in adult drugs, but when it comes to our children, it is downright criminal.

For the AAP to suggest this means that they have completely given in to the desires of Big Pharma or have shown us that they are throwing in the towel in changing the eating and lifestyle habits of our children. Either way, we lose. I sincerely hope that the majority of physicians who belong to this organization do not implement this guideline.