Children often go unscreened for heart disease risk

High levels of LDL cholesterol levels in early adulthood can lead to development of heart disease. Signs of heart disease — generally thought to be a disease of middle age — can be seen even in children, cardiologists now know. But risk factors in children and young adults run the risk of being undetected and untreated, largely because of confusion as to who among the young should get screened, and when.

One of the most efficient ways to screen for heart-disease risk is via tests for levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol. And yet often that screen doesn't get done.

In a study published in the July-August issue of the Annals of Family Medicine, Dr. Elena Kuklina and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined data from the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national survey that includes interviews and physical examinations, to see how frequently young adults were getting screened for LDL cholesterol.





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