Cholesterol screening should be done:

Cholesterol screening should be done:

• A. Children 2yrs+ who have a parent with a total cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL or greater
• B. Once all children at 6 yrs of age
• C. Overweight children with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease
• D. Once for all children at 12 yrs of age

Answer: (A)

Screening for cholesterol in children is guided by risk from the family history. The strongest right answer is that a child who is 2 years or older should be screened when a parent’s total cholesterol is very high (240 mg/dL or greater) because this greatly raises the possibility of familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition that leads to premature cardiovascular disease if not identified early. Detecting elevated lipids early allows appropriate follow-up and management. While being overweight with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease is also a risk factor that would warrant consideration for screening, the specified criterion of a parent with very high cholesterol provides a clear, guideline-supported trigger for starting testing in a young child. Universal screening at a single age (such as 6 or 12) is not the standard approach.

Screening for cholesterol in children is guided by risk from the family history. The strongest right answer is that a child who is 2 years or older should be screened when a parent’s total cholesterol is very high (240 mg/dL or greater) because this greatly raises the possibility of familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition that leads to premature cardiovascular disease if not identified early. Detecting elevated lipids early allows appropriate follow-up and management.

While being overweight with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease is also a risk factor that would warrant consideration for screening, the specified criterion of a parent with very high cholesterol provides a clear, guideline-supported trigger for starting testing in a young child. Universal screening at a single age (such as 6 or 12) is not the standard approach.