Post by Christine on Jul 7, 2008 4:57:26 GMT -5
Pediatricians urge more cholesterol screening
By New York Times News Service | July 7, 2008
NEW YORK - The nation's pediatricians are recommending wider cholesterol screening for children and more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs starting as early as age 8 in hopes of preventing adult heart problems.
The new guidelines, being issued today by the American Academy of Pediatrics, also call for giving children low-fat milk after 12 months of age.
The push to aggressively screen and medicate for high cholesterol in children is certain to spark controversy amidst a continuing debate about the use of prescription drugs in children as well as the best approaches to ward off heart disease in adults.
But proponents say there is growing evidence that the first signs of heart disease show up in childhood, and with 30 percent of the nation's children overweight or obese, many doctors fear a rash of early heart attacks and diabetes is on the horizon as these children grow up.
The academy estimates that under the current guidelines for cholesterol screening, between 30 percent and 60 percent of children with high cholesterol are being missed. And for some children, cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins, may be their best hope for lowering their risk for early heart attack, proponents say.
"We are in an epidemic," says Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, a member of the academy's nutrition committee, which is making the recommendation, and professor and chief of neonatology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. "The risk of giving statins at a lower age is less than the benefit you're going to get out of it."
Bhatia said that while there is not "a whole lot" of data on pediatric use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, recent research does show that the drugs are generally safe for children.
It is not clear how many children would be affected by the new guidelines.
By New York Times News Service | July 7, 2008
NEW YORK - The nation's pediatricians are recommending wider cholesterol screening for children and more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs starting as early as age 8 in hopes of preventing adult heart problems.
The new guidelines, being issued today by the American Academy of Pediatrics, also call for giving children low-fat milk after 12 months of age.
The push to aggressively screen and medicate for high cholesterol in children is certain to spark controversy amidst a continuing debate about the use of prescription drugs in children as well as the best approaches to ward off heart disease in adults.
But proponents say there is growing evidence that the first signs of heart disease show up in childhood, and with 30 percent of the nation's children overweight or obese, many doctors fear a rash of early heart attacks and diabetes is on the horizon as these children grow up.
The academy estimates that under the current guidelines for cholesterol screening, between 30 percent and 60 percent of children with high cholesterol are being missed. And for some children, cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins, may be their best hope for lowering their risk for early heart attack, proponents say.
"We are in an epidemic," says Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, a member of the academy's nutrition committee, which is making the recommendation, and professor and chief of neonatology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. "The risk of giving statins at a lower age is less than the benefit you're going to get out of it."
Bhatia said that while there is not "a whole lot" of data on pediatric use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, recent research does show that the drugs are generally safe for children.
It is not clear how many children would be affected by the new guidelines.