Next there'll be Cialis for 10 year olds...and those two bathtubs will each be equipped with a rubber ducky.
Well they ARE pushing condoms in school even for the primary grades now.
I disagree. People who suffer from familial hypercholesterolemia have high levels of LDL cholesterol because their liver cannot remove the LDL from the blood stream properly. Men suffering from this problem regularly have heart attacks in their 40's. However, this drug may be aimed at a much smaller group who are homozygous (they inherited the mutated gene causing hypercholesterolemia from both parents) and, therefore, have a much more severe form of hypercholesterolemia. These individuals will typically suffer heart attacks well before they turn 30.
The article doesn't make clear who this drug is approved for or under what circumstances MD's will be prescribing it to children. It is clear that this article has brought out those who think the drug companies exist to prolong disease instead of curing it (which is stupidity on parade) and those who refuse to grasp the fact that a high level of LDL cholesterol is absolutely correlated to CHD.
The vast majority of people suffering from high levels of serum cholesterol will not be able to significantly reduce or manage it through diet and exercise. The liver will continue producing it anyway. Statins are popular because they save lives. Of course, all medicines come with risks along with the benefits. Ain't no way around that fact.
This was a skinny, very active kid. I don't have a clue as to what medications he was given but he was put on a very strict diet.
I saw him about 2 years ago with his wife and child...and don't have a clue if he still has the problem or not...but he's still thin.
My point is...it had nothing to do with lack of exercise or being over-weight.