Kids & Cholesterol: Call for Early Action
Aug. 5, 2008 -- The growing recognition that the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries that can increase risk of heart attacks and strokes begins as early as childhood has experts calling for earlier and more aggressive treatment to reduce this risk.
Lifestyle and drug interventions aimed at lowering cholesterol beginning in early adulthood and even childhood could significantly reduce death rates from heart and vascular disease, the experts concluded in an analysis appearing in the Aug. 5 issue of the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
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The current practice of prescribing cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to mostly middle-aged people who already have significant plaque buildup does not take full advantage of the potential of these drugs, longtime cholesterol researcher Daniel Steinberg, MD, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego tells WebMD.
"The research tells us that [statin] treatment as it is currently given reduces death and disability from heart disease by about 30%," he says. "Our contention is that that is a gross underestimate of the benefits we would see if we treated earlier and more aggressively."
Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) created a stir by concluding that some children as young as age 8 may benefit from treatment with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.
Newly revised AAP guidelines recommend cholesterol screening for all children who are overweight or have diabetes or high blood pressure, in addition to children with a family history of early heart disease and high cholesterol.
While the first treatment should be lifestyle changes including healthy eating and plenty of exercise, the guidelines now state that drug treatment "should be considered" even for young children with extremely high cholesterol levels, specifically:
"Study after study, in both adults and kids, has shown that multiple risk factors accelerate the process of plaque buildup in the arteries known as atherosclerosis," pediatrics professor Stephen R. Daniels, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.
Lifestyle and drug interventions aimed at lowering cholesterol beginning in early adulthood and even childhood could significantly reduce death rates from heart and vascular disease, the experts concluded in an analysis appearing in the Aug. 5 issue of the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
Heart Health Videos
Video: CholesterolGuidelines
Video: Young Peopleand Heart Disease
Video: PredictingHeart Disease
All Heart-RelatedVideos
Related Slideshows
Related to heart health
coronary artery disease, angina, atherosclerosis, clogged arteries, cardiovascular disease, chest pain, heart attack, heart disease, myocardial infarction, bypass surgery, angiogram, angioplasty, anger and heart disease , aspirin therapy, stents, EKG
© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rightsreserved.
The current practice of prescribing cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to mostly middle-aged people who already have significant plaque buildup does not take full advantage of the potential of these drugs, longtime cholesterol researcher Daniel Steinberg, MD, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego tells WebMD.
"The research tells us that [statin] treatment as it is currently given reduces death and disability from heart disease by about 30%," he says. "Our contention is that that is a gross underestimate of the benefits we would see if we treated earlier and more aggressively."
Young Children and Statins
Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) created a stir by concluding that some children as young as age 8 may benefit from treatment with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.
Newly revised AAP guidelines recommend cholesterol screening for all children who are overweight or have diabetes or high blood pressure, in addition to children with a family history of early heart disease and high cholesterol.
While the first treatment should be lifestyle changes including healthy eating and plenty of exercise, the guidelines now state that drug treatment "should be considered" even for young children with extremely high cholesterol levels, specifically:
- LDL levels 190 mg/dL or higher.
- LDL levels of 160 mg/dL or higher if there is a family history of heart disease or two other heart disease risk factors.
- LDL levels of 130 mg/dL or higher if the child has type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
"Study after study, in both adults and kids, has shown that multiple risk factors accelerate the process of plaque buildup in the arteries known as atherosclerosis," pediatrics professor Stephen R. Daniels, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.