Should eight-year-olds take anti-cholesterol medications? Yes, say new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The new advice calls for doctors to screen all children ages two to ten for risk factors of heart disease (such as childhood obesity or family histories). If a child's cholesterol readings are too high, and if lifestyle changes such as better diet and more exercise do not help, then the AAP advises doctors to prescribe statin drugs - even to children as young as eight.

"We're in an epidemic," said Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, professor of neonatology at the Medical College of Georgia. "The risk of giving statins at a lower age is less than the benefit you're going to get out of it."

Others disagree, with many pointing out that because the drugs have only been around since the mid-1980s, no one is sure of the long-term effects they may have on the children to whom they are given.

Labels: cholesterol, medications, pediatricians

An influential group of doctors from the American Academy of Pediatrics has caused a heated debate by recommending that some children as young as eight be given the cholesterol-lowering medication statins. Statins has been shown to lower cholesterol in adults, but its effects on children are not well-known.

"The authors of the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that there is enough indirect evidence to suggest that starting treatment early makes sense in children with extremely high levels of cholesterol... They call for cholesterol testing for millions of children ages 2 to 10 who have a family history of early heart disease or have other risk factors such as being overweight or having high blood pressure."

Under the recommended guidelines, less than one percent of children would be considered for the medication. Despite that, many doctors and other medical experts warn that too little is known about how statins affect children. Others are concerned that medication will replace preventative programs that focus on diet and exercise. Source: The Morning Call

Labels: cholesterol, medications