Cord blood lipid profile in a population of Iranian term newborns

Premature coronary artery disease (CAD) and its risk factors are highly prevalent in Iran. It is well documented that atherosclerosis starts in childhood and there is evidence that this association with adult levels may originate at birth, so assessment of serum lipid levels in neonates might be of importance. In this study we aimed to measure serum lipoprotein and apolipoprotein levels in a representative sample of Iranian newborns. Cord blood lipid profile, apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein a (LPa) were analyzed in 378 full-term, Iranian newborns. The mean values of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, and Lpa in girls were 81.4 +/- 28.3, 35.9 +/- 22.4, 31.1 +/- 9.9, 87.9 +/- 20.2, 34.2 +/- 18.2, and 21.0 +/- 2.8 mg/dL, respectively; these values in boys were 75.2 +/- 21.1, 32.1 +/- 16.3, 28.8 +/- 8.7, 84.3 +/- 16.0, 32.6 +/- 14.2, and 19.5 +/- 2.7 mg/dL, respectively. Median values of triglycerides (TGs) in boys and girls were 61 and 62 mg/dL, respectively. Female neonates had significantly higher concentrations of TC and HDL-C than males (81.4 +/- 28.3 vs. 75.2 +/- 21.1, p = 0.02, and 31.18 +/- 9.97 vs. 28.8 +/- 8.7, p = 0.02, respectively). Other biochemical factors were not significantly different between genders. The mean and median concentrations of LPa were 20.3 and 18.7 mg/dL, respectively, which are almost five times higher than those reported in some other studies. The TG concentration was 1.5-2 times higher than those previously reported. Our findings indicate that serum concentrations of LPa and TG in Iranian neonates are higher than those in previous studies; this disorder, which is likely placing Iranians at increased risk for future CADs, needs to be assessed in longitudinal studies.