[Cardiovascular risk markers in schoolchildren from five provinces of eastern Colombia]

Cardiovascular disease is a public health problem globally; it represents the second cause of mortality in Colombia. This highlights the importance of identifying risk markers from the time of childhood, in order to diminish mortality rates proactively.

The lipid profile, homocysteine and C reactive protein plasma concentrations were determined in order to identify relationships between these markers and age, sex and school type.

A descriptive study was undertaken in 600 schoolchildren, aged 5 to 14, where the lipid profile, and the plasmatic concentrations of homocysteine and C-reactive protein were evaluated.

Higher average levels of total cholesterol, low density cholesterol and triglycerides were observed in females (p<0.05) as compared with males. The prevalences of high lipid were higher in females than in males--7.9% vs. 3.0% for total cholesterol; 11.6% vs. 4.7% for low density cholesterol and 6.9% vs. 5.7% for triglycerides. Children in private schools had higher levels of lipid than those in public ones (p<0.05). The prevalence of homocysteine levels above 6.3 micromol/L was higher (64.3%) in males than in females (56.1%). No statistically significant differences with respect to sex, age or type of school were observed when comparing the prevalence of high levels C-reactive proteins.

The prevalence of high lipid profile levels in female schoolchildren suggested a policy of adopting intervention measures at an early age. Other factors require further investigation, such as the homocysteine levels observed in males and the C protein levels in order to detect their contribution to cardiovascular disease.