All kids need cholesterol tests, doctors say

Video: Study: Kids should be screened for cholesterol

Open in new window

2. Transcript of: Study: Kids should be screened for cholesterol

   Advertise | AdChoices

   BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: Turning to health news, we spend a lot of time talking about the growing problem of childhood obesity in this country. Tonight there's more on that front, specifically a new recommendation for all children to be tested for high cholesterol . It comes as the result of a new study, but not all physicians agree with the conclusion. Our own chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman , is with us for more on this. I was trying to think of when my children were first tested, and maybe in their teenage years. I can't remember.

   Dr. NANCY SNYDERMAN reporting: Maybe. Maybe because the federal government really doesn't ask for the screening, but this is -- study in pediatrics comes from pediatricians at the University of West Virginia , and they're saying that basically we should rethink things. We know that if there's a strong family history, parent or grandparent with heart disease or cholesterol, a child has a greater risk. Ah, but these doctors said, not so fast. It doesn't apply to everybody. In fact, almost 30 percent of the children who didn't have a strong family history, for those children, almost 10 percent of them had, in fact, a real risk factor of high cholesterol levels. And of that, almost 2 percent high enough that would warrant therapy.

   SNYDERMAN: So what they're calling for, Brian , is routine global screening of all fifth graders, around that age, to see if there's high cholesterol with the belief that if you catch kids early, treat some with statins, the adult medication, you can perhaps ward off heart disease and death later in life. But here's the rub. We don't know because nobody's done the study. We don't know about the safety for long-term statin use. And we really don't know the cost-effectiveness. And while you and I have talked so many times about how this new paradigm shift in health care looks, this is one of the big missing links. We just don't have the data. So the government says no. These doctors say yes. This debate is now -- I think has the line in the sand .

   WILLIAMS: We'll stay on it. Dr. Nancy Snyderman , thank you for

   Show transcript