Lipids and Lipoproteins in 927 Schoolchildren, Ages 6 to 17 Years

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Abstract
To elucidate associations of age. sex, and race with plasma lipoproteins, and to provide percentile distribution data for pediatric lipoproteins, 927 (684 white, 243 black) fasting schoolchildren, ages 6 to 17 years, were studied. During ages 6 to 11 there were no significant changes in lipids or lipoproteins in any of the sex-, racespecific groups, and no consistent trends were evident. For ages 12 to 17 in both black and white male subjects, mean triglyceride levels were higher (P<.001) and mean high density lipoprotein cholesterol (C-HDL) lower than that for ages 6 to 11 (P<.03). Comparing white female subjects in age groups 6 to 11 and 12 to 17, triglycerides and C-HDL did not differ, but the older children had lower low density lipoprotein cholesterol (C-LDL) (P<.001). There were no significant lipid and lipoprotein differences between older and younger black female subjects. In both racial groups, during ages 6 to 11, females had higher mean triglyceride levels and lower mean C-HDL levels than males, but during ages 12 to 17 there were no significant male-female differences in lipids and lipoproteins. For both ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 17, and for both sexes, black children had higher C-HDL levels and lower triglyceride levels than white children. The percentile levels for lipoproteins should allow the practitioner to accurately assess lipoprotein levels in children and facilitate differentiation, in hypercholesterolemic children, among those whose hypercholesterolemia is primarily accounted for by elevated C-HDL, or by elevated C-LDL, who respectively may be at lower and higher risk for eventual development of coronary heart disease.
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