Statins are safe for children with abnormal cholesterol levels

Statins are safe for children living with genetically high cholesterol, according to new research from UCL, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. The charity says the findings will 'reassure' parents of children with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) - an inherited condition that significantly increases the risk of a heart attack in their 40s, 30s or even 20s. FH is estimated to affect over 56,000 children in the UK, but currently only around 600 children in the UK have been diagnosed. This means that thousands more are not on treatment and remain unaware of their future risk of heart disease. The condition causes dangerously high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream. If left untreated, it leads to a build-up of fatty plaque in the heart's arteries which can result in a potentially deadly heart attack or stroke. Once diagnosed, FH is easy to treat.