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Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
Published on: April 17, 2017
Changes in lipid profile observed in children over the course of infectious disease
1Pediatric Department IV, University of Milan, L Sacco Hospital, Italy.
Insights
Fever in children can temporarily alter lipid profiles, causing decreased total cholesterol and later low HDL-cholesterol and high triglycerides. These lipid changes during illness impact the timing for dyslipidemia screening.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Clinical Chemistry
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Fever is a common symptom in childhood illnesses.
- Lipid profile changes during acute febrile illness in children are not well-characterized.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for accurate health assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate lipid profile alterations in children experiencing febrile illnesses.
- To determine the relationship between fever severity/duration and lipid changes.
- To assess the persistence of lipid abnormalities post-fever.
Main Methods:
- Prospective evaluation of 23 febrile children (aged 3.2-14.9 years).
- Comparison with 93 non-febrile children.
- Utilized each child as their own control during symptomatic and convalescent phases.
Main Results:
- Total cholesterol decreased during the symptomatic phase, correlating with fever intensity and duration.
- Low HDL-cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia were observed in late febrile stages and convalescence.
- Lipid profile changes were transient but could be prolonged.
Conclusions:
- Infectious febrile diseases in children can induce temporary, sometimes prolonged, changes in lipid profiles.
- These findings highlight the importance of considering illness status when screening for dyslipidemias in pediatric populations.
- Appropriate timing for lipid screening is essential to avoid misinterpretation of results due to acute illness effects.
Abstract:
Lipid profile was evaluated prospectively in 23 consecutive children, aged 3.2-14.9 years, admitted to the hospital with a febrile illness (pneumonia, upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, pyelonephritis, mononucleosis, appendicitis). The degree of dyslipidemia associated with fever was assessed using each child as his/her own control and by comparison with 93 non-febrile children who had no evidence of fever during the past six months. Total cholesterol decreased during the symptomatic phase of the disease. The magnitude and duration of its decrease appeared to be related to the degree and duration of fever. Low HDL-cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia were observed during the late stage of the febrile disease and were still detected in the convalescent phase. This study suggests that in children, transient and sometimes prolonged lipid changes may occur in association with an infectious febrile disease. This effect is important for defining the appropriate timing for screening for dyslipidemias.
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