One in three kids between the ages of nine and 11 could have borderline or high cholesterol, giving them a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular problems in the future.
The findings highlight the importance of high blood pressure screening in pediatrics, an American College of Cardiology news release reported.
Researchers looked at the medical records of 12,712 children who had been screened for cholesterol levels within the Texas Children's Pediatrics Associates clinics. About 30 percent of these children were found to have borderline or high cholesterol.
"The sheer number of kids with abnormal lipid profiles provides further evidence that this is a population that needs attention and could potentially benefit from treatment," Thomas Seery, M.D., pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children's Hospital, assistant professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, and the lead investigator of the study, said in the news release. "But we can only intervene if we diagnose the problem."
Cardiovascular disease is rarely seen in children, but high blood pressure during these early years could lead to heart problems down the road.
"We know that higher levels of, and cumulative exposure to, high cholesterol is associated with the development and severity of atherosclerosis," Seery said. "If we can identify and work to lower cholesterol in children, we can potentially make a positive impact by stalling vascular changes and reducing the chances of future disease."
The researchers hope this new information will encourage blood pressure screening in children, although some practitioners are concerned about over-screening kids.
There is concern by some in the medical community that children will be started on medication unnecessarily," Seery said,
Life style changes mainly in diet and exercise are believed to be the first weapons against high blood pressure in children.
"Kids need to have their cholesterol panel checked at some point during this timeframe...," Seery said. "In doing so, it presents the perfect opportunity for clinicians and parents to discuss the importance of healthy lifestyle choices on cardiovascular health. Our findings give a compelling reason to screen all kids' blood cholesterol."
