BMJ  2007;335:683 (6 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.39353.368553.BE

Letters

Familial hypercholesterolaemia

Child-parent screening may have adverse psychological effects

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Wald et al do not mention the potential adverse psychological impact of child-parent screening for familial hypercholesterolaemia.¹

No matter how well these issues are communicated, this test will exacerbate the cholesterol neurosis that much of the population already seems to have. General practitioners in particular are aware that a screening programme which sounds fine in theory can translate into anxiety in patients. Throw children into the mix and the anxieties will be even higher.

Telling parents that their child has high cholesterol will worry them, which makes putting things into perspective difficult. It risks casting a shadow over childhood because parents view their progeny as threatened or fragile. This will be compounded by the fact that no immediate therapeutic action can be taken. Parents will feel that their child is vulnerable and that nothing can be done in the immediate term. At best this will make them uncomfortable, at worst . . . [Full text of this article]

Laindon Health Centre, Basildon, Essex SS15 5TR

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Relevant Article

Child-parent screening for familial hypercholesterolaemia: screening strategy based on a meta-analysis

David S Wald, Jonathan P Bestwick, and Nicholas J Wald
BMJ 2007 335: 599. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Wald, D. S, Bestwick, J. P, Wald, N. J (2007). Screening needs a fresh approach. BMJ 335: 1007-1008 [Full text]