Elevated Cholesterol Reported in Blood Tests on Children

The concentration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood is a guide to the health of the individual. Increased LDL cholesterol is indicative of type 2 diabetes and early heart attacks.

The normal value of LDL for children ages 2-19 years is under 130 mg/dL. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol and triglycerides are determined using enzymatic procedures. Children are seldom checked for their cholesterol levels as screening them has until recently not been considered a priority.

In a study, 20,266 fifth-grade children, had blood taken and a lipid panel analysis was performed. The panel included total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL and, very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL) serum levels (Abbott, North Chicago, IL, USA). The LDL and VLDL concentration were measured after heparin–calcium precipitation and determined by densitometric (electrophoretic) ratio and cholesterol content of the two lipoproteins.

The study found that among the 11-year-olds who met current cholesterol screening guidelines, 8.3% had LDL cholesterol levels of 130 mg/dL or higher, and 1.2% had LDL cholesterol levels of 160 mg/dL or higher. Among the 11-year-olds who would not have been screened under current guidelines, 9.5% had LDL cholesterol levels of 130 mg/dL or higher and 1.7% had LDL cholesterol levels of 160 mg/dL or higher.

More than 70% of the 20,266 children who were screened would have qualified for routine cholesterol screening, according to current U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP; Bethesda, MD, USA) guidelines. But even more surprising was how many children had high cholesterol even though they would not have qualified for routine screening. The study was performed at the West Virginia University, (West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA).

William Neal, MD, professor of pediatrics at West Virginia University, said, "A lot of parents told us they did not even know children had cholesterol, let alone high cholesterol. Just as many children who would not have been screened ended up with severely high cholesterol levels as in the group that did qualify for screening based on family history.” One in three children with dangerously high cholesterol is missed by current screening recommendations. The study was published in July 2010 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:
Abbott
U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program
West Virginia University