Less than 1% US kids need statins, study finds

Dallas, February 17: While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) had earlier urged for a more aggressive cholesterol screening along with a cholesterol-lowering statin therapy for certain high-risk children as young as 8 years, a new study offers some reassuring news.

The study, published in Feb. 16 online issue of the journal Circulation, concludes that less than 1 percent of American teens and preteens fall into the high-risk category.

While the pediatrics guidelines issued in its latest recommendation last July were based on strong evidence that the damage leading to cardiovascular troubles began early in life, it failed to address how many children might fall into the category.

Moreover, worried about the long-term health consequences associated with widespread use of the drugs among children, the agency’s guidelines were sharply criticized by many pediatricians and parents alike.

In aid, the new study headed by Earl S. Ford, a medical officer in the United States Public Health Service analyzed health data of about 10,000 children (aged 6 to 17) who participated in a national government health survey from 1999 to 2006, including 2,700 (aged 12-17) who got LDL levels tracked.

Nearly 5-7 percent had elevated LDL levels, researchers found. According to the AAP guidelines, statin therapy should be considered for children with LDL levels greater than 190 mg/dL in children with no associated risk factor; 130 or more among children with diabetes; and 160 or more among children with risk factors such as obesity or smoking.

Comprehending the results, researchers found a total of 0.8 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 required the statin therapy – translating to 200,000 American teens and preteens.

"It is a matter of opinion whether one thinks 0.8 percent is a small or large percentage" Ford avows. "What I think is most important here is that given the rise in childhood obesity and risk factors such as smoking and lack of exercise that adolescents are exposed to, we need to continually assess and monitor the lipid status of children and adolescents."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the adult obesity rates have doubled in the last three decades, the incidence of overweight children has almost tripled.

While incorporating healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating right, physical activity and quitting smoking is the first line of treatment to combat the growing obesity epidemic, aggressive screening for children with a family history of high cholesterol and early heart disease is also required, Ford recommends.