[Serum cholesterol levels in children aged 4-14 years]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Clinical Chemistry
• Public Health

Background:

• Childhood cholesterol levels are crucial indicators of cardiovascular health.
• Understanding age-specific cholesterol distributions is essential for early detection of dyslipidemia.
• Previous research indicates varying cholesterol trends across different pediatric age groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine total serum or plasma cholesterol levels in children aged 4, 6, 10, and 14 years.
• To analyze the distribution of cholesterol levels across different age groups and sexes.
• To identify the prevalence of elevated cholesterol levels in the studied pediatric population.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 1289 children (667 girls, 622 boys) from kindergartens and schools.
• Measurement of total serum or plasma cholesterol levels.
• Analysis of fasting and non-fasting cholesterol values for 10-year-olds; all other groups were fasting.

Main Results:

• Mean cholesterol levels in 4 and 6-year-olds were similar (approx. 161.7 mg/dL).
• A statistically significant decrease in cholesterol levels with increasing age was observed.
• Cholesterol levels in 10-year-olds differed significantly between fasting (156.2 mg/dL) and non-fasting (180.0 mg/dL) states (p < 0.001).
• Cholesterol > 200 mg/dL occurred in 3.2-7.2% of boys and 0-11.6% of girls; > 230 mg/dL occurred in 0-1.2% of boys and 0-2.1% of girls.

Conclusions:

• Childhood cholesterol levels show a declining trend with age.
• A notable percentage of children, particularly girls, exhibited cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dL.
• These findings highlight the importance of age-appropriate cholesterol monitoring in pediatric populations.