Screening for cholesterol in children

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all children between the ages of 9 to 11 are screened for high cholesterol due to the rise of obesity in children . They also recommend the following for  a certain group of children.

• children whose parents or grandparents have had heart attacks  or have been diagnosed with blocked arteries or diseases affecting the blood vessels such as stroke  at age 55 or earlier in men  or 65 or earlier in women
• those whose parents or grandparents have a total blood cholesterol level of 240mg/dL or higher
• those whose family background is not known such as adopted children or those who have characteristics associated with heart disease such as high blood pressure, diabetes , smoking or obesity

For these children, the first cholesterol screening should be after 2 years but no later than 10 years.

A child may have a high cholesterol  for a variety of reasons such as obesity , liver disease, kidney disease , diabetes and overactive thyroid. If the test results shows high cholesterol, the doctor will check the child blood again in 2 weeks.  If the level is still high, the doctor will determine if the child has an underlying condition.

A recent government report  indicates  that  children with high cholesterol grow  up to be adults with high cholesterol.  It is therefore important to monitor the cholesterol level of children with high blood pressure.