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Tracking of serum lipids in healthy children on a year-to-year basis
Ludwig Maidowski1, Wieland Kiess2,3, Ronny Baber4,5
1University of Leipzig, LIFE Child Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, Philipp-Rosenthal-Str. 27, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. lm47mure@studserv.uni-leipzig.de.
Insights
Lipid profiles in children show stability from age four, with normal levels persisting. Adverse lipid levels (TC, LDL-C, ApoB) stabilize early, suggesting early monitoring for cardiovascular disease prevention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric lipidology
- Cardiovascular disease risk factors
- Childhood health and development
Background:
- Lipid profiles are crucial indicators of cardiovascular health.
- Understanding lipid profile dynamics in childhood is essential for long-term health.
- Early identification of dyslipidemia can inform preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the longitudinal stability of lipid profiles in healthy children.
- To evaluate the onset and dynamic changes in childhood lipid markers.
- To identify age-dependent patterns in lipid profile stability.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal measurement of lipid markers in over 1300 healthy children (LIFE Child study).
- Categorization of lipid levels into normal, at-risk, or adverse.
- Analysis of year-to-year persistence and Pearson's correlation coefficient.
Main Results:
- Strong positive correlations for Total Cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, and ApoB observed from age four (r > 0.75).
- Lipid profile correlations were lowest in the first two years of life.
- Adverse levels of TC, LDL-C, and ApoB persisted in over half of affected children; normal levels showed high stability.
Conclusions:
- Normal serum lipid levels exhibit high stability throughout childhood.
- Adverse lipid levels (TC, LDL-C, ApoB) stabilize in early childhood.
- At-risk or adverse lipid profiles warrant further monitoring for long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention.
Objectives:
To assess the stability of lipid profiles throughout childhood and evaluate their onset and dynamic.
Materials And Methods:
Lipid markers were longitudinally measured in more than 1300 healthy children from the LIFE Child study (Germany) and categorized into normal, at-risk, or adverse. Year-to-year intra-person persistence of the categories during follow-ups was examined and Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated.
Results:
We found strong positive correlations for TC, LDL-C and ApoB (r > 0.75, p < 0.001) from the age of four years. Correlations were lowest during the first two years of life. Most children with normal levels also had normal levels the following year. Children with at-risk levels showed a tendency towards normal levels at the follow-up visit. Adverse levels of TC, LDL-C, ApoB (all ages), and HDL-C (from age 15) persisted in more than half of the affected children. Age-dependent patterns of stability were most pronounced and similar for TC, LDL-C, and ApoB.
Conclusions:
Normal levels of serum lipids show high stability and adverse levels stabilized in early childhood for TC, LDL, and ApoB. At-risk and adverse levels of TC, LDL-C or ApoB may warrant further or repeated diagnostic measurements with regards to preventing CVD in the long run.
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