Second Thoughts: Fewer than one percent of American teens may need statins.
Second Thoughts: Fewer than one percent of American teens may need statins.
A few months ago a policy recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending that nearly all children be put on statins. Now we have a second look at the issue as reported in today’s AMA Morning News:[Feb17] “fewer than one percent of American teens are likely to need cholesterol drugs,” according to a study published in the journal Circulation. Investigators “looked at data from about 10,000 children who took part in a national government health survey from 1999 to 2006. Of those, about 2,700 in the 12-to-17 group had LDL levels measured.” Approximately “five…to seven percent of these youth had elevated LDL.” The investigators then “checked those numbers against the pediatric academy guidelines, advising other factors that should be weighed in recommending medication.” Approximately “0.8 percent fit the profile of those needing treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs to ward off future heart problems.” Thus, “based on 25 million Americans in that age group, the findings translate to about 200,000 young people.”
