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Lipid Anomalies and Overweight Children
Has your overweight child been checked for abnormal lipid values? Children who are obese should have a fasting lipid profile done. If the values are found to be elevated the American Heart Association is recommending that statin therapy be considered as a means of lowering LDL cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) if it is sufficiently high and diet and exercise has failed to help.
Current research demonstrates that atherosclerotic disease begins in childhood. Factors contributing to this are physical inactivity, obesity, and high LDL cholesterol in conjunction with low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). High blood pressure accelerates this process.
In the past, it was thought that exercise and diet were the only interventions available to help to improve or reverse early atherosclerotic changes. However, recently the FDA has approved several statins, (medicines that lower blood cholesterol levels), for use in children
Who is a candidate for statin therapy? Children with an LDL of higher than 190mg/dL or, for those with a family history of early cardiovascular disease or risk factors themselves for cardiovascular disease, a lower level of 160mg/dL has been established.
While statins are not generally recommended for boys younger than 10 or girls before they have begun menses, younger children who present with additional risk factors may be considered an exception for this therapy.
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