Cholesterol in preteen children of parents with premature coronary disease.
A pediatric population at high risk for the development of coronary artery disease has been identified. Using a simple and inexpensive protocol, serum cholesterol determinations were performed on 50 children 12 years old and younger. These children were taken from 28 families in which one parent had suffered a myocardial infarction before the age of 50. Eight of the 50 children were found to have significant elevation of serum cholesterol. This was an incidence of 16%--twice that of the general pediatric population. Subjects with both adverse genetic and metabolic backgrounds need to be identified in this simple way. Preventive and therapeutic measures in such children may alter in the future the serious morbidity and mortality of coronary artery disease.
D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk
D002784:Cholesterol