Statins may help kids with inherited high-lipid disorder

Statins have been proven effective in helping adults control cholesterol. Do they also work for children?

This study randomly assigned 214 children, ages 8 to18, with inherited high cholesterol (known as familial hypercholesterolemia) to take either pravastatin (sold as Pravachol) or a placebo daily. After two years, so-called bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) levels were down 24 percent in those who took pravastatin, compared with a 0.3 percent increase for the children who took the placebo. The pravastatin group’s carotid artery walls also had become less thick, while the other group’s thickened. No differences between the groups were found relative to growth, sexual maturation or hormone levels.

These findings may affect children with inherited high cholesterol, a condition that can lead to heart problems in later years.

The study did not determine if pravastatin would be safe and effective if taken for more than two years. Whether results would be the same for children who have high cholesterol for reasons other than familial hypercholesterolemia remains unclear.

The bottom line is parents of children with inherited high cholesterol may want to talk with a pediatrician about pravastatin.

You can find this study in the July 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association; abstract available online at www.jama.com.

Learn more about cholesterol problems among children at http://familydoctor.org (search for “high cholesterol & kids”) and http://kidshealth.org.