A Science Museum of Minnesota Community

Drugs for high cholesterol in young children?

by mdr on Jul. 08th, 2008

The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that children as young as eight-years-old, who are at risk for heart disease, be treated with drugs to lower high levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol.

According to this report recent research has also shown that cholesterol-fighting drugs are generally safe for children, and that many are already being treated with them. Personally, I question the wisdom of going this route. Wouldn't a life-style change be a better approach? Do we really know the long-term effects of this kind of treatment? And do I have any legitimate medical school diplomas on my wall? Any thoughts on this out in Buzzland?

Your Comments, Thoughts, Questions, Ideas

<em>Gene</em>'s picture
Gene says:

Here's an interview with a doctor who is opposed to the practice.

posted on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 11:06am

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <h3> <h4> <em> <i> <strong> <b> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <blockquote> <object> <embed> <param>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Images can be added to this post.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.

More information about formatting options