Childhood Cholesterol Screening Is Not Cost-Effective

Childhood cholesterol screening is controversial. For decades, clinician-scientists have disagreed on the questions of whether, when, and how to screen for hypercholesterolemia in youths. For example, 2 members (myself and 1 other) of the 2011 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Expert Panel on Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction in Children and Adolescents agreed on the factual answers to the questions the panel addressed, but differed on their interpretation and thus recommendations for childhood lipid screening in clinical practice.