A new guideline from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
recommends routine cardiovascular screening with cholesterol
tests for pre-adolescents and young adults. All youths should
have cholesterol screening tests performed during well visits
once between the ages of 9 and 11 and again between ages 17 and
21, advises the group in a supplement to the December issue of
Pediatrics. A panel convened by the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute wrote the guidelines. Previous AAP guidelines
issued in 2008 directed pediatricians to test cholesterol only
in children and young adults with a family history of heart
disease or early heart disease and in those with risk factors
for heart disease, including those who smoke, are diabetic,
overweight, obese, or hypertensive (high blood pressure).
However, an earlier start to cardiovascular prevention is
necessary for all youths, the new guidelines say. Growing
evidence shows that the biological processes that precede heart
attacks and cardiovascular disease begin in