Medication Use for Hypercholesterolemia in the Pediatric Population

The past few decades have shown an increase in the prevalence of chronic conditions in the pediatric population. One of the chronic conditions that appears to be on the rise in this population is hypercholesterolemia. At the same time, the rate of obesity is increasing in children and adolescents and may be putting our youth at risk for abnormal lipid levels. First-line prevention and treatment should involve intensive lifestyle medicine therapy. If warranted, however, the use of medications may be started as early as 8 years of age, but this has many unknown variables related to safety and efficacy. Caution and vigilant observation for drug interactions and adverse events is warranted by the health care team and family members throughout treatment with drug therapy.