A post or 2 earlier I talked about the new findings stressing the need to have toddler’s checked for cholesterol. What does this do? What for? What results are we looking at? I saw this article which might answer some of your questions:
Testing toddlers for high cholesterol when they are about 15 months old could help prevent heart attacks and strokes in the future, a new study suggests.
The study, published Thursday in the British Medical Journal, said toddlers found to have high cholesterol are likely to have an inherited cholesterol disorder called familial hypercholesterolaemia.
The disorder, which affects about one in 500 people, can cause adults to experience heart problems and strokes at a young age — men with the disorder can develop problems in their 40s, women in their 50s.
Dr. Mike Evans, a family physician based in Toronto, said parents shouldn’t rush out to have their children tested immediately but the study is an important one to watch.
“The great appeal here is that you can get two generations by testing one person,” he told CBC News on Friday.
He said if a child is found to have the genetic disorder, at least one of their parents must have it too, and may not have been aware of it.
The study suggests the mother and father of an affected child can take cholesterol tests themselves to determine which one of them has the highest cholesterol levels, and therefore likely has the disorder.
Once the disorder is detected, Evans said the child and affected parents can make lifestyle changes to combat the deadly health problems the disorder can bring.
Anti-cholesterol medications are another option, with the study suggesting that the affected parent can begin preventative treatment immediately, while the child can delay until adulthood.
Interesting huh? I wonder if they’ve started doing this here in the Philippines.
(Article was taken from the CBC News website)
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