Lipid Screening in Childhood — New Recommendations from the AAP

Controversial new recommendations advocate wider screening and use of statins in children.

The AAP has released a new clinical report on lipid screening in children that replaces its 1998 policy statement. Much of the background information is not new: (1) autopsy data indicate that the atherosclerotic process begins in childhood and that elevated cholesterol levels in childhood are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood; (2) lipid and lipoprotein levels rise rapidly early in life and stabilize by age 5 to levels similar to those of adolescents; and (3) currently, 35% to 45% of children are screened because of positive family history of CVD.

So, what is new since the 1998 report was published? First, the average weight of U.S. children is rising as the obesity epidemic continues. Second, the m…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Lipid Screening in Childhood — New Recommendations from the AAP

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Reviewing Author