Cholesterol check for a 5 year old?

[brookmey]

DS had his annual check-up the first week of August. At that time, the nurse asked a bunch of questions about his medical history and our family's. I did mention that DH has high blood pressure, but is taking medication. His cholesterol is on the high side, as well. But I also added that DH is overweight and his dr. is confident that both are high because of his weight.

Yesterday the doctor called and wants DS to get his cholesterol checked. Her reasons are because of his dad's high BP and cholesterol. DS is not overweight and his blood pressure is normal. He's 44" and 44 pounds. As a family, we eat healthy, lots of fruit and veggies and we don't eat out except for special occasions. DS doesn't eat a lot of candy or sweets, either. He's a normal, active kid. There was no mention of DD getting hers checked, too, just DS.

I'm having a hard time getting this. I could understand if DS was overweight or had other health issues, but neither applies to him. His dr. said he's a normal, healthy 5 year old, but she wants to be on the safe side. I just don't see the purpose. If he were to have high cholesterol, what would she recommend doing for it? Not medication, so it would be to focus on diet and exercise, which we are already do.

Has anyone ever heard of this or have had their young kids checked?

It just seems a little over the top to me, a little CYA for the dr. I'm one who always listens and does what doctors recommend, but this time I'm really questioning it. Especially since the dr. is only recommending it because of DH and she's not including DD in the recommendation, which doesn't make sense. If she wants one kid checked, then why not both?

 

[Micca]

I understand your concern. I have little knowledge about cholesterol issues in children, but like many health issues I'd guess the sooner you know, the better. Hope it all works out.

 

[Abbie]

We used a pediatrician once who suggested this testing early too as "routine". And as much as I loved and trusted him, we passed. Same as you, we already were feeding well-rounded diets and even if the blood test turned up to be elevated there wouldn't have been any change in diet. And I surely would not have medicated a child so young due to high cholesterol so what would have been the point?

If you're already using a healthy low-cholesterol diet I would not submit my child to that at this point.

 

[marcemc]

I approach our pediatrician with this question about a year ago, merely as a precaution because DH has high blood pressure.

The kids are supposed to be tested once every 3 years, now both my boys have a great healthy diet & exercise daily so she said it was ok to skip it.

She suggested that the cholesterol level gets check in their teen's years.

 

[Coconut36]

Our Ped has not/does not do this screening to date (not with my ODS..we will see when YDS has his visit when he turns 5) but I do know some Peds suggest it. I have a family history of genetic high cholesterol (diet/weight play no role in the numbers) and my DH has a family history of diet/weight related cholesterol but I likely would still not get it done at 5.

 

[ccgirl]

DS had his annual check-up the first week of August. At that time, the nurse asked a bunch of questions about his medical history and our family's. I did mention that DH has high blood pressure, but is taking medication. His cholesterol is on the high side, as well. But I also added that DH is overweight and his dr. is confident that both are high because of his weight.

Yesterday the doctor called and wants DS to get his cholesterol checked. Her reasons are because of his dad's high BP and cholesterol. DS is not overweight and his blood pressure is normal. He's 44" and 44 pounds. As a family, we eat healthy, lots of fruit and veggies and we don't eat out except for special occasions. DS doesn't eat a lot of candy or sweets, either. He's a normal, active kid. There was no mention of DD getting hers checked, too, just DS.

I'm having a hard time getting this. I could understand if DS was overweight or had other health issues, but neither applies to him. His dr. said he's a normal, healthy 5 year old, but she wants to be on the safe side. I just don't see the purpose. If he were to have high cholesterol, what would she recommend doing for it? Not medication, so it would be to focus on diet and exercise, which we are already do.

Has anyone ever heard of this or have had their young kids checked?

It just seems a little over the top to me, a little CYA for the dr. I'm one who always listens and does what doctors recommend, but this time I'm really questioning it. Especially since the dr. is only recommending it because of DH and she's not including DD in the recommendation, which doesn't make sense. If she wants one kid checked, then why not both?

I would think it's better to be safe than sorry. Please note that not all high cholesterol is caused by a poor diet. Some people are just pre-disposed to that and I would rather find that out now than later.

 

[LisaR]

I read an article last year that claimed that an alarming number of kids have high cholesterol by the age of 12. They mentioned that kids were never routinely tested for cholesterol until they were adults because the medical community didn't believe it was a problem. Now it was recommended that they get a baseline when they are young and if it was fine, there wasn't a family history, and the child wasn't overweight or had high blood pressure, they could go every 3 - 5 years until they reached their late teens when they should have it checked yearly. I had my kids tested at their physical last year based on the info I had read.

 

[SandrainNC]

My youngest had his checked at his 5 year check up for the first time this past July. The doctor said they like to get a check about that age and also that because he was adopted from Korea, we have no idea of his birth parents' history.

 

[castmemberb4]

Our Ped has not/does not do this screening to date (not with my ODS..we will see when YDS has his visit when he turns 5) but I do know some Peds suggest it. I have a family history of genetic high cholesterol (diet/weight play no role in the numbers) and my DH has a family history of diet/weight related cholesterol but I likely would still not get it done at 5.

I would think it's better to be safe than sorry. Please note that not all high cholesterol is caused by a poor diet. Some people are just pre-disposed to that and I would rather find that out now than later.

My family has a history of high colesterol I tested at 269 when I was 26 years old weighed about 100 lbs and was very active in dance. No one in my family has been tested as young as 5 because we didn't know we should. The next generation will get test young but I really don't know what they'd do about it.

 

[4nana]

Yes, actually I was surprised it is now included in some of our grands routine annual physicals. The peds explanation was, the sooner high cholesterol is caught the better.

 

[Coconut36]

My family has a history of high colesterol I tested at 269 when I was 26 years old weighed about 100 lbs and was very active in dance. No one in my family has been tested as young as 5 because we didn't know we should. The next generation will get test young but I really don't know what they'd do about it.

That is why I wouldn't test my young kids. I would not be comfortable with them taking medication for it thus I am not sure the value of knowing the number. They already eat healthy diets and are extremely thin so if the genetic component is at play what are they going to do aside from have a number written in their charts?

Unless my Ped could convince me otherwise (not that they do it anyway) I would be unlikely to have the screening done because the number would be just that..a number.

 

[LisaR]

That is why I wouldn't test my young kids. I would not be comfortable with them taking medication for it thus I am not sure the value of knowing the number. They already eat healthy diets and are extremely thin so if the genetic component is at play what are they going to do aside from have a number written in their charts?

Unless my Ped could convince me otherwise (not that they do it anyway) I would be unlikely to have the screening done because the number would be just that..a number.

I think it is a tool that can be used to help you make informed decisions and keep you aware and alert if your child were to become complacent with exercise habits or you were to become more lax in your healthy eating habits. And while I would not want my little one taking cholesterol medication, there has to be a number where it becomes a danger to the child to not be on medication. I would want to know that my child was below that number and that we were doing everything humanly possible to keep it below that danger mark. I think most people can tweak their exercise and eating habits and if I know my child is a high risk, I am going to go out of my way to make sure we are doing everything possible to reduce his or her risks.

 

[Coconut36]

I think it is a tool that can be used to help you make informed decisions and keep you aware and alert if your child were to become complacent with exercise habits or you were to become more lax in your healthy eating habits. And while I would not want my little one taking cholesterol medication, there has to be a number where it becomes a danger to the child to not be on medication. I would want to know that my child was below that number and that we were doing everything humanly possible to keep it below that danger mark. I think most people can tweak their exercise and eating habits and if I know my child is a high risk, I am going to go out of my way to make sure we are doing everything possible to reduce his or her risks.

My children are active and eat well regardless of cholesterol numbers as I feel that is a necessity for their well being in general. Nothing in that regard will change regardless of cholesterol screenings. As I said..my kids biggest risk factor is their genetics not their diet so it doesn't matter how thin or active they are or how well they eat..it's genetic not lifestyle related.

I would be shocked that their numbers at 5 or 8 or 10 would reach critical levels so young that medication would be a necessity to live and I would need to have compelling data to review and information from my Dr to convince me otherwise...thus I see no value in it (and neither does my Ped apparently as far as I know she does not do this screening). I don't judge anyone who pursues it anymore than I judge someone who doesn't. We do what we feel is best for our children health wise and this is not something I see as a necessity to their well being as I would not allow medication for a 5 year old or even into their young teens so the number would just be a number.

 

[aprilgail2]

I don't see the big deal in getting it tested My daughter has always had hers done as part of her yearly physical-they do the physical an full blood work up....

 

[brookmey]

I would understand having the testing if there is a family history of high cholesterol, but there is no history of it in my family nor DH's. That's the problem I'm having with testing DS. DH's is high because of his weight, his dr. has established that. And, if it's that important, why didn't my kids' dr talk to me about it during DS' appointment and at DD's (she's 7) appointment? I guess my problem should be more with inconsistencies with the kids' dr, rather than the test itself.

 

[Bilberry]

Having cholesterol levels checked at the age of 5 seems excessive and could be frightening to the child and parents unnecessarily. I'd personally take a pass.

I suppose it is never to early to be heart health conscious though. One sight that I check out often is Dr. Davis's. He is a cardiologist that specializes in heart disease prevention. You can pick up information there on different testing methods available to detect heart disease, along with dietary ideas. Hope that is helpful.

http://www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/

 

[LisaR]

My children are active and eat well regardless of cholesterol numbers as I feel that is a necessity for their well being in general. Nothing in that regard will change regardless of cholesterol screenings. As I said..my kids biggest risk factor is their genetics not their diet so it doesn't matter how thin or active they are or how well they eat..it's genetic not lifestyle related.

I would be shocked that their numbers at 5 or 8 or 10 would reach critical levels so young that medication would be a necessity to live and I would need to have compelling data to review and information from my Dr to convince me otherwise...thus I see no value in it (and neither does my Ped apparently as far as I know she does not do this screening). I don't judge anyone who pursues it anymore than I judge someone who doesn't. We do what we feel is best for our children health wise and this is not something I see as a necessity to their well being as I would not allow medication for a 5 year old or even into their young teens so the number would just be a number.

And that is most certainly your prerogative. I was simply offering up a reason why it could be a good tool for some parents. If it doesn't work for you, great. There are many families out there that would tweak the way they did things if they knew their child was a high risk.

 

[badblackpug]

I would understand having the testing if there is a family history of high cholesterol, but there is no history of it in my family nor DH's. That's the problem I'm having with testing DS. DH's is high because of his weight, his dr. has established that. And, if it's that important, why didn't my kids' dr talk to me about it during DS' appointment and at DD's (she's 7) appointment? I guess my problem should be more with inconsistencies with the kids' dr, rather than the test itself.

If your husband's cholesterol is high your child has a family history of high cholesterol. There is no way for your doctor to determine that your husband's high cholesterol is "because of his weight." It may be because of his diet, and his weight is also because of his diet, but there really is no way to determine that.

Cholesterol clearance is genetic. I am a nurse. I have seen very thin people who eat right, and work out, who have high cholesterol. As a matter of fact, I had a co-worker, who I would venture to say was anorexic, and she had high cholesterol. My father was very heavy, ate a lot of unhealthy food, and his cholesterol was never high, so go figure?

There are an alarming number of children with high cholesterol. In the past pediatricians always though it was an age thing, or a diet thing. Doctors are now finding out that more and more things are related to genetics. My children have all had it tested. As a previous poster said... what is the harm? You have a baseline established. High cholesterol is a major factor in heart disease. I would rather know sooner than later that my child had this issue so we could start dealing with it and minimize that damage that could be done. It is not unusual to see people having heart attacks in their 30s and 40s. One the heart muscle is damaged it is permanent.

 

[Coconut36]

And that is most certainly your prerogative. I was simply offering up a reason why it could be a good tool for some parents. If it doesn't work for you, great. There are many families out there that would tweak the way they did things if they knew their child was a high risk.

And that is why it is such a personal choice. There is nothing to tweak if your child is genetically prone to something and if you have no intention of medicating them it could be an unnecessarily stressful procedure to have done to a child.

 

[Coconut36]

If your husband's cholesterol is high your child has a family history of high cholesterol. There is no way for your doctor to determine that your husband's high cholesterol is "because of his weight." It may be because of his diet, and his weight is also because of his diet, but there really is no way to determine that.

Cholesterol clearance is genetic. I am a nurse. I have seen very thin people who eat right, and work out, who have high cholesterol. As a matter of fact, I had a co-worker, who I would venture to say was anorexic, and she had high cholesterol. My father was very heavy, ate a lot of unhealthy food, and his cholesterol was never high, so go figure?

There are an alarming number of children with high cholesterol. In the past pediatricians always though it was an age thing, or a diet thing. Doctors are now finding out that more and more things are related to genetics. My children have all had it tested. As a previous poster said... what is the harm? You have a baseline established. High cholesterol is a major factor in heart disease. I would rather know sooner than later that my child had this issue so we could start dealing with it and minimize that damage that could be done. It is not unusual to see people having heart attacks in their 30s and 40s. One the heart muscle is damaged it is permanent.

What does knowing when they are 5 do for them? I am not being snarky but I am genuinely curious what would be done aside from exercise, eating and monitoring it? It's the age to begin I am hung up on. Knowing at 16 or 18? Sure..knowing at 5 does what exactly but have that looming over their head?