On the initiative of the Golden OTIS Trust Award Committee, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, on April 11 this year. in Poland, and on May 17 this year. In Ukraine, free preventive examinations of cholesterol levels in children aged 5-10 years at risk of developing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases are starting. A strategic partner of the campaign Check the cholesterol in a child! is Synevo Laboratoria Medicover.
The tests will be carried out in Synevo’s medical diagnostic laboratories, in 5 Polish (Gdańsk, Kraków, Łódź, Poznań, Warsaw) and 8 Ukrainian cities (Kyiv, Simferopol, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Lutsk, Lviv, Sevastopol, Kharkiv). They will last a month or until the tests for the “Check your child’s cholesterol!” Campaign are exhausted. – 1250 in Poland and 2000 in Ukraine.
The condition for taking advantage of the free tests is that the child’s parents fill in a short questionnaire available in Synevo laboratories. Answering a few questions about a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, or sudden cardiac death will help you assess your child’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Another factor that increases this risk is overweight and obesity – the effect of too little physical activity and a fatty diet. Instead of playing on the playground, children prefer to spend their free time in front of the TV or computer. They eat crisps and fast food, washed down with sweet carbonated drinks. They gain weight because they cannot burn as many calories as they provide to the body.
How to prevent atherosclerosis
High cholesterol and atherosclerosis are generally only discussed in the context of adults. Meanwhile, the first atherosclerotic plaques begin to build up in the vessels of two-year-old children! Under the age of 10, they already develop atherosclerosis, which leads to heart attacks and strokes, and significantly shortens their life.
– If your baby is not eating well, he / she may develop lipid disorders. The excess cholesterol begins to accumulate in the liver, and then in the endothelium of the blood vessels, infiltrates and foam cells form. The next stage in this process is the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. These changes are a consequence of eating fatty foods and little physical activity. As long as the atherosclerotic plaque is not formed and the arteries are stiffened, they can still be undone. Later, the patient is only able to inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis, explains Dr. Andrzej Marszałek, medical director of Synevo Polska. And he adds: – Even among young children there are cases of full-blown atherosclerosis, so it is worth doing everything to prevent it.
Measurements of cholesterol levels in children are becoming more and more common in many countries. However, Poland is not one of them. The preventive campaign “Check your child’s cholesterol!”, Organized on the initiative of the Chapter of the Trust Award “Złoty OTIS”, is the first research carried out on such a large scale, not only in Poland, but also in Europe.
– In 2011, the recommendations of The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute changed dramatically. They have been approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Currently, in children at risk, it is recommended to have a fasting lipid profile between the ages of 2 and 10, and if the results are normal, retesting is recommended between the ages of 12 and 16. The measurements should be made twice each time, at an interval of two weeks to three months. In the age groups 9-11 years and 17-21 years – also at an interval of two weeks to three months – it is recommended that total cholesterol be determined twice after a meal, routinely, in all children, regardless of risk factors – reminds Prof. Bożena Werner, head of the Clinical Department of Cardiology and Pediatrics of the Children’s Teaching Hospital of the Medical University of Warsaw.
When medication needs to be given
A child’s high cholesterol does not always require statin treatment. In the vast majority of cases, it is enough to change the diet and increase physical exertion.
– Overweight and obese patients require a low-fat Mediterranean diet, high in unsaturated fatty acids, whole grains, fiber, vegetables and fruit, and low in red meat, white bread, salt and sugar. Children in preschool and school age should perform a varied exercise for one hour each day, both moderate and high intensity. Dynamic sports such as swimming, running, ball games, skating and skiing are particularly beneficial – emphasizes prof. Bożena Werner.
Very high level of LDL cholesterol (Low Density Lipoproteins – particles of low density), ie. bad cholesterol is a very sensitive marker of family genetic disorders of the lipid metabolism, the so-called familial hypercholesterolaemia. – It occurs in patients with a genetic mutation who are at risk of dying early from cardiovascular causes if they do not take their medication. In this group, there are also people who have only one gene for familial hypercholesterolaemia and usually do not have any disturbing symptoms – explains Prof. Bożena Werner.
As recommended, children at risk of developing cardiovascular disease should start treatment when their blood LDL cholesterol level is above 190 mg / dL, in children with a positive family history it is above 160 mg / dL, and in children with a positive family history of diabetes – over 130 mg / dl (in their case the optimal level of LDL is below 110 mg / dl)
No scaring or lies
For the test result to be reliable, it should be carried out on a healthy child, preferably in the morning, necessarily on an empty stomach (you can eat the last meal 12 hours before the test). Normal meals may be eaten 24 to 48 hours before the test. – The last evening meal, preferably around 18 should be light. A sandwich with white cheese or a tomato will be fine, but it is better to give up salad with eggs and mayonnaise, cheese, cold cuts or sausages – advises Dr. Andrzej Marszałek.
10-15 minutes before the examination, the child should rest and sit quietly in front of the office. It is important that she is as little stressed as possible.
– Children are often afraid of drawing blood. It happens that parents scare: “If you don’t drink the syrup, the doctor will give you an injection”, and then the child is afraid. He must not be frightened. It cannot be said that blood sampling does not hurt, because it is not true. It hurts when the skin is punctured and it burns a little when removing the needle from the vein. It is better to tell the truth to the child – he adds dr Andrzej Marszałek.
Parents’ attitude is also important, because children perceive their moods non-verbally. If parents say, “Yes, it will hurt, but only for a while,” usually their children calmly undergo the examination. Some want their parents to be in the office, they feel better on their mother’s lap, others prefer to be with their father who is more firm. There are also children who prefer to be alone.
A list of Synevo’s medical diagnostic laboratories where tests are performed and additional information on the preventive action “Check your child’s cholesterol!” and the “Złoty OTIS” Trust Awards at www.nazdrowie.pl.