One-Third of Texas Children Tested= Borderline or High Cholesterol

One-Third of Texas Children Tested= Borderline or High Cholesterol

One in three children undergoing routine lipid screening in primary-care pediatric clinics have cholesterol levels considered high or borderline high, according to a new analysis.

Regarding LDL-cholesterol levels, 46% of children have borderline-high or elevated levels and 44% have HDL-cholesterol levels considered low or borderline low, report investigators.

“Although cardiovascular disease in children is rare, we do know that atherosclerosis has its origins in childhood and that the greatest single predictor of adult hypercholesterolemia is the blood cholesterol level in childhood,” said lead investigator Dr Thomas Seery (Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston) during a media briefing announcing the results. “The cumulative exposure to high cholesterol is associated with the development and severity of atherosclerosis.”

Speaking with the media in advance of the American College of Cardiology 2014 Scientific Sessions , Seery said there has been a “paradigm shift” in terms of how cardiovascular health is promoted in children and adolescents.

This is best highlighted with the 2011 Expert Panel on Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction in Children and Adolescents. The panel, appointed by the National Health, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommends that children undergo lipid screening for nonfasting non–HDL-cholesterol levels or a fasting lipid panel between the ages of nine and 11 years followed by another full lipid screening test between 18 and 21 years of age.


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