Preventive Cardiology Clinic

The Preventive Cardiology Clinic believes in focusing on family education to help children live a more heart-healthy lifestyle. We emphasize the need for patients to change to a heart-healthy diet and for families to increase their daily exercise time in a safe environment. We strive to involve the entire family to create a family-based program. Here are some helpful tips.

Parents and health care workers should:

• Be a positive role model/be supportive.

• Get the whole family involved.

• Limit sedentary time/increase physical activities.

• Set specific goals and realistic expectations.

• Celebrate good behavior with healthy foods.

• Be an advocate for healthier children.

Children are evaluated at the Preventive Cardiology Clinic for several reasons and can be referred by their pediatrician or primary care physician when:

• They have a family history of high cholesterol, or

• A family member has had an early cardiovascular event, or

• There is an abnormally elevated fasting lipid profile and further evaluation and possible medical therapy is indicated

For children ages 2 – 10 years, initial lipid profile testing is recommended as an aspect of preventive pediatric care. We follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation for fasting lipid profiles, which includes testing of:

• Triglyceride level (based on what they eat)

• Total cholesterol (based on what a child inherits from family and what they eat)

• HDL-C (“good” cholesterol)

• LDL-C (“bad” cholesterol)

Patient evaluation at the Preventive Cardiology Clinic includes:

• Physical Exam

• Height and Weight/BMI

• Blood pressure

• Assessment of risk factors in the family history

• Patients may also need to see a registered dietician or a nutritionist in the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition or locally where they live.