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Universal Lipid Screening in Children and Adolescents: Pros and Cons

Elizabeth R. Wolf, MD, MPH
Alan R. Schroeder, MD
Helen Haskell
John James

American Family Physician. 2026;113(6):601-603.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

This clinical content conforms to AAFP criteria for CME.

ELIZABETH R. WOLF, MD, MPH, Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Pediatrics, Richmond, and Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond

ALAN R. SCHROEDER, MD, Stanford University Department of Pediatrics, Palo Alto, California

Address correspondence to elizabeth.wolf@vcuhealth.org.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

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  2. 2.2015 recommendations for preventive pediatric health care: Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine and Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule Workgroup. Pediatrics. 2015;136(3):e727.
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  14. 14.The Writing Group for the DISC Collaborative Research Group. Efficacy and safety of lowering dietary intake of fat and cholesterol in children with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC). JAMA. 1995;273(18):1429-1435.
  15. 15.Shannon BM, Tershakovec AM, Martel JK, et al. Reduction of elevated LDL-cholesterol levels of 4- to 10-year-old children through home-based dietary education. Pediatrics. 1994;94(6):923-927.
  16. 16.Ribas SA, Paravidino VB, Brandão JM, et al. The Cardiovascular Health Integrated Lifestyle Diet (CHILD) lowers LDL-cholesterol levels in Brazilian dyslipidemic pediatric patients. J Am Nutr Assoc. 2022;41(4):352-359.
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  25. 25.Gillman MW. Childhood cholesterol screening is not cost-effective. JAMA. 2026;335(2):126-128.
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  30. 30.Jackson CL, Huschka T, Borah B, et al. Cost-effectiveness of cascade genetic testing for familial hypercholesterolemia in the United States: a simulation analysis. Am J Prev Cardiol. 2021;8:100245.
  31. 31.Marquina C, Morton JI, Lloyd M, et al. Cost-effectiveness of screening strategies for familial hypercholesterolaemia: an updated systematic review. Pharmacoeconomics. 2024;42(4):373-392.

Lown Institute Right Care Alliance is a grassroots coalition of clinicians, patients, and community members organizing to make health care institutions accountable to communities and to put patients, not profits, at the heart of health care.

This series is coordinated by Kenny Lin, MD, MPH, deputy editor.

A collection of Lown Right Care published in AFP is available at https://www.aafp.org/afp/rightcare.

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