Questions surround treatment of children with high cholesterol
Mass screening of babies for Familial Type II hyperlipoproteinemia and subsequent treatment of children to maintain low cholesterol levels could help reduce the incidence of severe, premature atherosclerosis
Infants with a genetic defect associated with severe, premature atherosclerosis in later life can now be identified at birth and treated during childhood in hopes of preventing arteriosclerotic heart disease.
The disorder, Familial Type II hyperlipoproteinemia, may affect as many as one out of every 200 babies born in the United States each year.
Umbilical cord blood screening for type II hyperlipoproteinemia, the effects of therapy aimed at lowering serum cholesterol to normal levels, and the incidence of type II were discussed at the 24th annual meeting of the American Heart Association's Council on Arteriosclerosis.
One investigator estimated that mass screening would cost no more than $5.00 per baby—about as much as testing
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