Atherosclerotic plaques form early in childhood and progress slowly until adult life, when clinical manifestations show. The goal of this study was to analyze the concentrations in plasma of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) in a group of children of both sexes and up to 19 years of age, who are attending at the University Hospital Antônio Pedro (HUAP). Patient admission sheets between December 2004 and January 2006 were analyzed for dyslipidemic risk factors, and correlated with the respective lipid plasma concentrations, determined at the Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry (HUAP). The plasma levels of total cholesterol, LDL-C, TG and HDL-C in female patients were higher than in male patients, suggesting the influence of sexual maturation as described in the literature. The mean concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL-C, TG and HDL-C were elevated in the investigated group, mainly in patients presenting with other pathologies, such as nephrotic syndromes, diabetes mellitus and systemic lupus erythematosus. Our results suggest that, in Brazil, the reference value interval of lipoprotein levels should be investigated more thoroughly in this age group, as well as in children who are considered healthy.
Lipid plasma levels; Dyslipidemia; Atherosclerosis; Hypercholesterolemia
