Hypercholesterolemia screening in children

Cardiovascular disease is nowadays the first cause of morbimortality in industrialized countries. Hypercholestorolemia is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors, with a clear causal role in atherosclerosis progression. This process begins in early childhood and tends to continue and progress until adult life; hence the importance of primary prevention in children and adolescents. We present a systematic review of literature on current knowledge about hypercholesterolemia in children, its prevalence, the meaning of cholesterol in childhood, the influence of feeding, its relation to other risk factors associated to atherogenic lipid levels, the possibilities of screening and the strategies of hypercholestorolemia prevention in childhood and adolescence.