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Cholesterol in children

02/12/2004 06:17PM

Question:

my son is 9 years old and weighs 105 lbs he had some blood work done it said he cholesterol was 207.why a child this young and is this something to be really concerned about?his doctor said just to watch what he eats and excerise more.his good was 50 and the bad was157

Answer:

From a health perspective, obesity is currently an out of control epidemic that is responsible for a great deal of chronic health conditions and mortality. Your son`s weight places him well above the 95th percentile for weight for someone his age which places him in the obese category. This does not mean that he is going to be an obese adult but that he has a higher risk than someone who is in the normal weight for age range. Specifically with respect to his cholesterol, it is high if he were an adult, but he is 9 making the answer more complex. Things such as family history of high cholesterol, early heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and a variety of other health conditions make the interpretation more complete and I would rely upon your primary care physician for their opinion. Irrespective of what the cholesterol numbers for your son, I would completely agree with his primary care physician. Your son needs to eat a healthy diet and exercise in an appropriate manner. I would also add that for a 9 year old to improve his nutrition the entire family/household needs to improve their nutrition and increase their exercise, which would help the entire family become more healthy.

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Response by:

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Michael Spigarelli, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Division of Adolescent Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
University of Cincinnati