Overview
Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) is often considered an adult condition. But it can also affect children and teens, especially when there’s a genetic cause. Cleveland Clinic Children’s Pediatric Lipid Clinic is here to expertly assess and treat children and teens.
Our providers work together to make up a specialized team of physicians and dietitians. This caring team will be with you and your child every step of the way. That means we’ll be right there from your child’s first assessment. We’ll be there with follow-up calls and appointments. And we’ll help you and your child with ongoing management of high cholesterol.
Our team tests for:
- Elevated cholesterol (including high triglycerides)
- High LDL-c (“bad” cholesterol)
- Low HDL-c (“good” cholesterol)
- High lipoprotein (a) (pronounced lipoprotein “little a”)
- Family history of severely high cholesterol or early heart attacks
We also manage genetic types of high cholesterol that can run in families, including a more common form called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).
We’ll help you and your child make lifestyle changes to improve food choices and physical activity. We may also prescribe medications to help bring their cholesterol down to a safe level. Learn how to manage and treat high cholesterol in children.
Screening and lipid panel
In most cases, your child’s pediatrician or another specialist would’ve referred you to our clinic.
Your provider would also have likely ordered a “lipid panel” for your child before you come to see us. This test is a common blood test that measures the amount of lipids in your child’s body (cholesterol and triglycerides).
It’s critical for us to first have this lipid panel before we see your child. It enables us to diagnose and treat your child at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Pediatric Lipid Clinic. If your child has had this blood test, it should show in your MyChart or your provider should contact us.
Your child will typically have a screening lipid panel completed once between ages 9-11 years old and once again between ages 17-21 years old. If your child's provider has identified other risk factors for heart disease, then your child may be additionally screened outside of these standard screening age ranges.
Referral guidelines
Providers should consider referring children or teens with:
- LDL-c above130 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter)
- Triglyceride levels above 500 mg/dL on single check, or consistently above 250 mg/dL on fasting labs
- Total cholesterol above 240 mg/dL
- A family history of myocardial infarction (MI)/heart attack, cerebrovascular accident (CVA)/stroke (this means a close male relative younger than 55 years old or a close female relative under 65 with any of these conditions)
- Family history of LDL-c above 190 mg/dL or total cholesterol above 240 mg/dL in a close family relative, if the child’s LDL-c level is abnormal
- Elevated lipoprotein(a) above 50 mg/dL
Children and teens with normal cholesterol but who have overweight, obesity or associated medical conditions may be referred to our Be Well Clinic.
Children and teens with elevated blood pressure or hypertension only may be referred to our Pediatric Nephrology team.
What to expect when you visit the Pediatric Lipid Clinic
When you come to our clinic, your child’s care will likely follow this path:
- Check-in. Our office staff and nursing staff will get you started by asking some basic questions. We’ll ask about your family history, and we’ll find out if your child is taking any medications or if they’re having any symptoms.
- Vital signs. We’ll also take your child’s vital signs. This includes body temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiratory (breathing) rate.
Electrocardiogram (ECG). Your child will also have an ECG (also sometimes called an EKG) at our clinic. This is a brief, painless test to check the rhythm of your child’s heart. A provider will place temporary electrodes on your child’s chest.
- Exam. You and your child will then meet with our lipid expert (also called a lipidologist) and sometimes a dietitian. Your provider will examine your child. We’ll also ask more questions about a family history of high cholesterol and about your child’s eating habits and exercise.
- Possible referral. Our specially trained providers may then also refer your child to other specialists, including:
- Cardiovascular genetics team (for genetic testing)
- Nephrology (for high blood pressure and other kidney concerns)
- Cardiology (for heart murmurs and other cardiac concerns)
- Endocrinology (for diabetes and other endocrine concerns such as thyroid issues)
- Our Be Well Clinic (for exercise, lifestyle and food-related changes for weight management)
- Follow-up. You’ll receive a call from our team to review your child’s progress and prepare for your next appointment.
- Tests. Our providers may ask you to take your child in for a follow-up lipid panel. Then, we can compare the results to the panel taken before your child’s first visit.
It’s natural for you and your child to be a little nervous about your first visit with us. We understand that. Our team of compassionate, expert providers will support and guide you and your child throughout this journey.
Our Team
Christina Fink, MD
Hillcrest Medical Office Building
Christina Fink, MD, is a board-certified general pediatric cardiologist in both internal medicine and pediatrics (2017). She completed her fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, where she gained experience managing the care of inpatients and outpatients with a wide range of cardiac conditions. She continues to cultivate her special interest in caring for patients with congenital heart diseases. Dr. Fink also is a diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology, practicing as a clinical lipidologist through caring for patients with cholesterol abnormalities, which fits her philosophy of care to not only treat, but also slow and prevent disease. Further adding to her mindset of preventative medicine, Dr. Fink became board certified in obesity management to help her patients make changes to avoid developing cardiovascular disease among hundreds of other obesity-associated conditions.
Clare O'Hare, MD
Fairview Medical Office Building
Clare O'Hare, MD, is a board-certified pediatric cardiologist, current staff member of Cleveland Clinic Children's and assistant professor of pediatrics at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Before joining CCF faculty in 2022, Dr. O'Hare completed her general pediatrics training at Children's Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI followed by her general pediatric cardiology training at Washington University in St Louis, MO. She then completed an additional year of advanced cardiac training in non-invasive imaging. During her advanced training, her clinical interest in dyslipidemia grew as she learned to evaluate and manage pediatric patients with abnormal lipid panels through hands-on experience. As an active member of the National Lipid Association, she has completed advanced clinical courses and is working on her board certification in lipidology. She believes optimizing heart health in childhood is a fundamental aspect of living a healthy life and therefore is proud to lead the cardiology lipid clinic at Fairview Hospital.
Hanna Leikin, RD
Hillcrest Medical Office Building
Hanna Leikin is a pediatric Registered Dietitian, who is also a board-certified specialist in pediatric nutrition. She currently services the ambulatory nutrition needs at the Hillcrest Medical Office Building for Cleveland Clinic Children’s. In this position she provides direct patient care counseling to children with a variety of medical conditions including but not limited to gastrointestinal, cardiac, endocrine, eating disorders and neonatal. She takes interest in dyslipidemia, preventative care and wellness and works as the primary Registered Dietitian in our lipid clinic developing specific cholesterol lowering recommendations in a multi-disciplinary approach. From her work with our Be-Well team in treating childhood obesity, her interest in dyslipidemia grew as she tried to find better ways to manage patient’s comorbidities to improve lifelong outcomes.
Appointments
The Pediatric Lipid Clinic is held at several of our regional outpatient clinic locations.
To make an appointment, please call 216.445.5000 and select option #1.
You can also obtain a formal referral from your existing medical team. Learn more about physician referrals.
