Prevention is better than cure

Dubai: Children as young as eight years in Dubai are being put on anti-cholesterol drugs to prevent heart problems in the future, signalling a disturbing trend in children's health.

All of them have high risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, high blood pressure, genetic hypercholesterolemia, and strong family history of heart disease and diabetes.

The American Academy of Paediatrics came out with guidelines on Tuesday, recommending some children as young as eight years with higher-than-normal amounts of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, be put on these drugs, known as statins.

Dr Ahmad Kalban, family physician and director of Safa Health Centre under the Dubai department of Health and Medical Services, told Gulf News he has seen children as young as eight years put on statins.

“Mostly, the children are at least 10 years old when we put them on statins. There are a few cases where we put under 10 on the drugs, and if they are eight years old, it is usually because a consultant has recommended it.

Family affair

“Sometimes, when they are obese and have a strong family history of heart

disease, we have to

put them on these drugs,'' Dr Kalban said, adding he has prescribed anti-cholesterol drugs to about three children.

Dr V.J. Sebastian, consultant cardiologist at Welcare Hospital, told Gulf News putting some at-risk children on these drugs was a preventive strategy.

“Narrowing of the arteries occurs at a very young age, so we have to attack that early,'' Dr Sebastian said.

“I have three children whose parents have very high cholesterol and heart disease. I had no choice but to put them on statins. One of [the children's] father had a heart bypass at 45, so the mother was worried,'' he said. Dr Sebastian said one of the children was obese, with a strong family history of heart disease and diabetes. The other children had normal weight.

He said the trend of putting children on anti-cholesterol drugs, usually prescribed to adults with heart disease and high cholesterol, was set to continue as people lived sedentary lifestyles and had high-fat diets.

Children in the UAE have already developed other common lifestyle diseases common in adult, such as Type II diabetes.

Diabetologists in the Ministry of Health and the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre have reported treating children as young as 10 for Type II diabetes.

The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends routine cholesterol tests for children, starting from the age of two, saying the first test should happen no later than age 10.

In Dubai, 10-year-olds are being screened for high cholesterol, but only if they are obese and have a family history of heart disease and diabetes.

Dr Kalban said changing the health policy to require all children undergo routine check-up for high cholesterol was unlikely to occur anytime soon. “We must first do a prevalence study on high cholesterol on children and at what age [they develop it],'' he said.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, children have high cholesterol due to three factors — heredity, bad diet and obesity. Many children with high cholesterol also have parents with the same problem.

If left unchecked, high amounts of LDL and triglycerides can cause hardening and narrowing of the arteries, causing heart disease.

The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends drug treatment for children with high LDL while children with low amounts of high-density lipoprotein, or the good cholesterol, should implement lifestyle changes, by increasing physical activity and eating healthy diet.