American scientists have suggested that cholesterol screening programs are too restricted and should include greater number of children and young adults.
Current guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children and adolescents with a family history of early-onset heart disease or high cholesterol or already identified risk factors such as obesity or diabetes should be screened for high cholesterol.
However, a new study has pointed out that many people do not know their accurate medical history. They examined 20,000 children in the West Virginia area, both asking for their family histories and testing their cholesterol levels.
The team discovered that more than 71% of the children had family histories that suggested they should be screened for high cholesterol, while 9.5% of those children with no significant family histories also had high cholesterol. 1.7% of those children with high cholesterol but with no family history needed medication to treat the condition.
The findings have resulted in calls for all children to be routinely screened for high cholesterol, not just those with a family history. The authors of the report, published in the journal Pediatrics, have concluded that current screening guidelines result in 36% of children with high cholesterol being missed.
In Britain, a similar study in 2007 called for children to be screened at 15 months. Current guidelines state that screening should take place in under-40s only when they have particular risk factors for the condition.