Most people seem to think they really don't need to start worrying about cholesterol levels until they reach their 30s or 40s.

But one UT Southwestern physician is promoting the importance of childhood cholesterol screening, noting that early testing can arm parents with useful information that otherwise might have been years in coming.

If blood tests show an elevated cholesterol level in children, there are proven therapies and adjustments to diet that can help bring down the bad numbers, said Dr. Sarah Blumenschein, clinical assistant professor or pediatrics at UT Southwestern.

Left unchecked for years, high cholesterol can be life-threatening. "

"It's extremely important because it's the No. 1 leading cause of death in men, and after menopause, in women," she said, "The problem is that it's not been taken seriously. It's so disquieting. We have so many good therapies out there now."

Dr. Blumenschein advises screening children by age 6 if there is a family history of coronary artery disease, of strokes in relatives younger than 55 or a history is unknown.

Children under 2 should not have their fat intake restricted, Dr. Blumenschein said. Dietary and risk=factor modification is recommended for children between 2 and 10. For children 10 and older, no less than 20 percent of total calories consumed should by fat.

Children 10 and older may be considered for drug therapy after dietary modifications prove unsuccessful for a year. And even when youngsters have been diagnosed with high cholesterol and are undergoing treatment, either medication or dietary, they often continue to eat foods they shouldn't. Dr. Blumenschein said.

"Teen-agers are difficult because they want to test the system," she said.If a child's cholesterol is found to be high, the entire family is brought in for a consultation, Dr. Blumenschein said.

Information is given to them about nutritional changes that can reduce bad cholesterol (low density lipoproteins) and increase good cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins).

"That makes the family aware, " Dr. Blumenschein said. "Most people just don't eat good diets. Food is like medicine. If you don't start early, it's very hard to change."

Dr. Blumenschein believes that unless children are screened for cholesterol, a person might be 35 before learning there are problems.There is a window of about 20 years when many young adults do not see doctors for a complete physical, which typically includes blood work.

Even more problematic is that high cholesterol levels are asymptomatic, Dr. Blumenschein said.

"They are not being picked up, and they're not being tested," Dr. Blumenschein said of the segment of the population who do not have annual checkups until their mid-30s or so.