The recommendation comes from a report in the journal Pediatrics.
Doctors from West Virginal University suggest tens of thousands of children may benefit from cholesterol lowering drugs. But they say, because there is no universal screening, children at risk of premature heart disease are not being identified.
Current recommendations only target those whose parents or grandparents have heart disease or high cholesterol.
Researchers say treating children with cholesterol lowering drugs might help prevent them from developing heart problems in middle age.
But not all scientists agree. Some say there is not enough evidence cholesterol lowering medication for children is safe or effective.
