Statins can be used in children, study finds

Statins are “safe” for children to use if they have genetically high cholesterol, a study has found.

Concerns have been raised over the use of statins to treat young people with familial hypercholesterolaemia, an inherited condition that leads to higher than normal levels of cholesterol in the blood.

Te study, published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidolog y, looked at how statin use affects children using the UK Paediatric Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Register.

Funded by the British Heart Foundation, the study examined child growth, proteins in the liver and muscles, and obesity levels.