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In a 2008 clinical report (JW Pediatr Adolesc Med Jul 16 2008), the AAP updated guidelines for lipid screening in children and adolescents. The new guidelines are controversial because critics believe that they will lead to increased statin use in children (JW Pediatr Adolesc Med Nov 5 2008). CDC investigators used 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data to determine the number of 12- to 17-year-old children who would potentially qualify for pharmacologic treatment based on the AAP’s current recommendations.
Fasting blood samples were obtained and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were available for 2724 of 7180 children. Only 26 adolescents (0.8%) potentially qualified for pharmacologic treatment: 11 h…