Cardiovascular risk factors in Australian children: hypertension and lipid abnormalities

In children, cardiovascular risk factors are often overlooked but play an important role in later adult cardiovascular health. Lifestyle management and tackling childhood obesity are important, however some children will develop hypertension and dyslipidaemia which requires treatment. Non-drug treatment should be tried first. Antihypertensive drugs should be reserved for those with secondary hypertension, end-organ damage and those who have not responded to lifestyle measures. Drug treatment of raised concentrations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol should be reserved for older children with familial hypercholesterolaemia, very high cholesterol, or those with multiple risk factors for premature coronary artery disease, who do not respond to dietary change.