Cholesterol Screens Let Some Children at Risk Fall Through the Cracks
The Wall Street Journal
A new study intended to raise awareness of heart disease - by focusing on children - suggests that current guidelines for screening children for high cholesterol allow many with elevated levels to slip through the cracks. The data was collected from a school-based program in West Virginia that screened the levels of all fifth graders over the past decade.
According to Dr. Stephen Daniels, pediatrician-in-chief at Children's Hospital Colorado, the study adds to evidence of shortcomings of family history as a criterion for screening. Parents and grandparents of fifth graders may not be old enough to develop heart disease and gathering accurate family information can be complicated by single-parent households.
"Most children who take cholesterol drugs have cholesterol that is high because of genetics, not because of unhealthy habits" said Dr. Daniels.
Read more about cholesterol screening for children.
