High cholesterol can hit children, too

An inherited faulty gene causes some children to live with fh – an often undiagnosed condition causing cholesterol problems

You may be surprised to know that some children have high cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, they may have inherited a faulty gene from one of their parents, meaning that they can develop very high cholesterol at an early age.

This is called Familial Hypercholesterolaemia – more commonly known as FH. Very high levels of cholesterol can contribute towards heart attack and stroke – unfortunately, this is often the first indication that something is wrong and it may happen in the 20s and 30s. There are approximately 120,000 people in the UK who have FH, but evidence suggests that only about 20,000 people have been diagnosed. Most people are unaware that they have the condition.

How will I know if my child has FH? If you or your partner has FH, there is a 50/50 chance that each child you have may have inherited the disorder. If you or your partner do not have the disorder then your child will not have it either, unless the child is adopted.

At what age can my child be tested? Children are usually screened after the age of two, but before the age of 10 and the children who are tested are those with a family history of FH or those whose parents, grandparents or aunts and uncles have had a heart attack or a stroke before the age of 55.

What if my GP won’t test my child? Most GPs are sympathetic to the concerns of parents. Usually, taking along information about the condition can help a GP decide to test your child or refer you to a specialist centre for testing.

If my child is found to have FH, who should care for him/her? A hospital-based doctor or lipid clinician, who is a specialist in managing high levels of cholesterol, is the best person to care for an affected child or even a child who is possibly affected.

What if my child does not want the test? It is important to know whether your child is affected as the earlier the treatment can start the better. It may be possible to find out if a child is affected by using a finger prick test, if your child is frightened by a syringe.

What is the treatment for FH? At a young age, a healthy diet is the most effective way of keeping cholesterol levels down. This is encouraged from as early as two years. Care must be taken to ensure that your child is getting enough calories, so parents should seek advice from a state-registered dietician who has experience in looking after children with high cholesterol.

What is the best type of food to help bring down cholesterol levels? Try to eat foods that are low in fat, especially saturated fat. This is the type of fat that is solid at room temperature, for example, butter, lard and fatty cuts of meat. Make sure that a wide range of foods are eaten, including lean meats, low-fat dairy products, fish, nuts and seeds, beans and pulses, cereals and lots of fruit and vegetables! As parents, it is important to try and lead by example. This is a healthy way of eating for everyone so the whole family should embrace the change and become involved in the preparation of the food. It might just be fun!

Are there any other changes that can be made to our lifestyle that would help? In a word, yes!

• It is important for children to be physically active, over and above what they do at school. Enjoyable activities undertaken by the whole family are likely to not feel like exercise at all. Children could try out after- school clubs and encourage their friends to do the same or just spend some time kicking a football around in the garden or outside their home. The important thing to remember is to try and cut down the amount of time your children sit on the sofa watching TV or playing on computer games.
• Speak to your children about the importance of not smoking and do your best to lead by example. If children are given the message that smoking is bad for them, before the age of seven, they carry that with them into teenage years and it has been shown that they are less likely to start smoking. This advice is relevant to all children who have FH but is also relevant to anyone, adult or child, who wants to try and lead a healthy lifestyle.

What if my child’s cholesterol levels still do not come down, despite making changes to his/her diet and lifestyle? Children can be put on medication to help lower cholesterol and the main drug used is called a resin. This works by binding with the extra cholesterol as it passes through the gut and then gets passed out of the body in the stools.

Older teenagers may sometimes be prescribed statins, which are the most common form of cholesterol-lowering drug. H·E·A·R·T UK – The Cholesterol Charity – wants to break the deadly round of preventable heart attacks and strokes affecting young families with FH and other forms of inherited high cholesterol.

H·E·A·R·T UK provides free information and advice to anybody concerned about high cholesterol. We operate a telephone helpline manned by nurses and dietitians and have lots of information freely available on our website.

 

For a free information pack contact: H·E·A·R·T UK 7 North Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 1PE Telephone Helpline: 01628 628 638 Website: www.heartuk.org.uk

 

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