More Teens Would Require Cholesterol Medication if Treated Under Pediatric Guidelines, Study Says
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Zoonar RF/Zoonar/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Teenagers are a medication gray zone for many pediatricians, straddling both the child and adult guidelines.
When it comes to high cholesterol, a well-recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease that often emerges during adolescence, doctors will often use adult’s guidelines.
However, a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics examines what would happen if the pediatric guidelines for cholesterol were used for teens. Researchers found that doing so would put more than 400,000 individuals ages 17 to 21 into a category for which medication would be required.
The reason? Pediatric guidelines figure in other risk factors such as high blood pressure or obesity, according to researchers.
Even though these teens would not require any cholesterol medication under the adult guidelines, under the pediatric guidelines they would.
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