A group of researchers in Canada, Finland, Australia, the United States, Norway, Italy, and Netherlands found that children with risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and diabetes, are now showing signs of heart disease, including hardened of blood vessels and arterial wall thickness. The report revealed that in 12 of the 15 studies examined, children with risk factors were more likely to have increased thickness in the arterial walls, which could lead to heart attacks in adulthood. The risk factors include familial hypercholesterolemia where children whose defective genes causes high cholesterol levels in them, diabetes, obesity, and genetic factors.

Some experts and doctors felt that the finding is probably not new as previous postmortem studies of young United States soldiers who died in the Korean War had shown atherosclerotic changes in their arteries. The process must have begun much earlier on in their life. It is evident that deposits of plaque containing cholesterol and lipids takes years to build up and risk factors in childhood hasten the process.

There is indication that the number of young people who died suddenly has been on the rise. While the risk of atherosclerosis or the hardening of arteries can certainly carry over from childhood to adulthood, it is still no concrete evidence to link these sudden deaths of young people with childhood atherosclerosis unless their postmortem findings are made known.

Although there is an increasing number of children suffer from these and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, testing for future heart conditions is still not standard practice. Currently, there is also no need to routinely screen lipid levels in all children.

If the lipid levels are normal, no specific treatment is needed. Nevertheless, maintaining healthy lifestyle is very important. This includes attention paid to healthy diet, regular exercise, and good weight management.

Selectively those with diabetes and those at risk are screened and statins have been used to treat children with familial hypercholesterolemia. Statins are drugs that lower bad cholesterol levels by limiting the amount of cholesterol the body can make.

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