A healthy diet, weight loss, and more physical activity may bring your child's blood lipid levels to normal. Most children and teens will not need medicine. If the results of your child's lipid tests are abnormal, your child's doctor will work with you to create a treatment plan. Treating high cholesterol in your child or teen In these cases, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute advises these levels for cholesterol: Some children and teens (ages 2 to 19) have families with high cholesterol or early heart disease. HDL of greater than 35 mg/dL (less than 35 mg/dL puts your teen at higher risk for heart disease) Your child's doctor can tell you what the results should be for your child. These include LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. It shows the levels of each type of fat in the blood. This is because lipid levels are more stable after puberty.Ī full lipid profile can be an important part of your child’s health information. But testing is advised if your child has risk factors as noted above.Īges 17 to 21. ![]() This is because of changing lipid levels during puberty. This can be done with either a fasting or non-fasting lipid profile.Īges 12 to 16. Other risk factors include family history of early coronary artery disease or lipid disorder, kidney disease, or other chronic inflammatory diseases.Īges 9 to 11. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, exposure to cigarette smoke, or a family history of these. Testing is advised if your child has other risk factors for heart disease. Lipid testing is not advised.Īges 2 to 8. Fasting means your child should not eat food or drink anything but water before the test. This depends on the type of lipid test done. Your child may need to fast before the blood test. Keeping blood cholesterol levels in the normal range reduces this risk. This is due to things such as:īeing inactive from too much screen time and not enough exerciseįamily history of high cholesterol levelsĬhildren and teens with high cholesterol are at higher risk for heart disease as adults. But we now know that children and teens are at risk. In the past, doctors felt that children and teens were not at risk for high cholesterol levels. Gene that causes high triglyceride levels in families (familial hypertriglyceridemia)Ī lipid screening is a test to look at the levels of the fats in the blood. High triglyceride levels may be caused by any of these: High levels of triglycerides are linked with a higher risk of heart disease. ![]() Most of your teen's body fat is in the form of triglycerides. Triglycerides are another type of fat found in the blood. To help raise HDL, your child should:Įxercise for at least 20 minutes, 3 times a week It also helps prevent plaque in the blood vessels. This type of cholesterol is known as "good" cholesterol. Not eat too many foods with sugar and refined carbohydrates Not eat foods high in saturated fat or cholesterol Atherosclerosis can lead to heart disease. It is also known as hardening of the arteries. If your child's LDL level is high, it can cause plaque to form in the arteries. The other type is high-density lipoproteins (HDL). One type is low-density lipoproteins (LDL). They are in the form of round blobs called lipoproteins. ![]() Your child's liver can make all of the cholesterol he or she needs.Ĭholesterol and other fats are carried through the blood. The second source is from his or her liver. The first source is from the foods your child eats. The cholesterol in blood comes from 2 sources. ![]() It helps make cell membranes, some hormones, and vitamin D. It can be found in all parts of your child's body. Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides in Children and Teens What is cholesterol?Ĭholesterol is a fat-like, waxy substance.
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