In a shocking turn of events, cardiologists have released new guidelines that remind us to test people for cholesterol levels at any age. Because apparently, we've been doing it all wrong since the dawn of time when we only started screening people after they'd already developed heart disease and were begging for mercy.
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association are urging doctors to start checking LDL (the "bad" kind) cholesterol levels in kids as young as 9, because who doesn't love a good early intervention? And if you're one of those cool people with a family history of heart disease, you should probably get screened even sooner – maybe just after birth?
But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. The new guidelines also recommend more personalized risk assessments based on factors like existing health conditions... or as we like to call them, "life events that will inevitably lead to premature death." And if you're lucky enough to have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, don't worry – the doctors have got some fancy new tests to detect it early, so you can start taking your statins by age 10.
And because one risk assessment tool just wasn't enough, they've introduced a brand-new calculator called PREVENT (because preventing cardiovascular disease is literally its sole purpose). This baby's based on data from a whopping 6.6 million people and will give you an accurate estimate of your heart attack and stroke risk – all the way down to age 30.
But wait, there's more! The guidelines also recommend using imaging tools like coronary artery calcium scans (because who doesn't love a good scan?) to detect plaque buildup in the arteries. Because if you don't see it coming, how will you know when to take your statins?
The updated guidance is accompanied by an editorial suggesting that we should aim to lower LDL-C levels even further – down to 55 mg/dL for people with moderate atherosclerosis (whatever that means). But hey, who needs actual evidence when you've got fancy new tests and calculators?