[Concentrations of serum cholesterol in Spanish children: results of a study on the isle of Menorca].
BACKGROUND
The little knowledge about the distribution of total cholesterol (TC) in childhood and adolescence in Spain, makes the planification of preventive measures for cardiovascular diseases difficult. The aim of this study is to determinate these values in the island of Menorca.


METHODS
A sample of 1,062 boys and girls 6 to 18 years of age was studied. Blood samples were obtained by venipuncture and were analyzed by the enzymatic techniques of cholesterol-esterase, cholesterol-oxidase, and peroxidase.


RESULTS
Boys showed lower mean TC values than girls in almost all age groups. In both sexes, a descending phase was observed in the TC by age curve at the beginning of the adolescence. TC values above 5.17 mmol/l (200 mg/dl) were recorded for 7% of participants, being this proportion lower than the value found in the Spanish study of Fuenlabrada (13%).


CONCLUSIONS
Results obtained are compared with other national and international studies. The values of this study rank an intermediate position between the highest mean TC values registered in Norway and the lowest registered in Israel.
Vallescar
R
R
Laboratorio de Bioestadística y Epidemiología, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.
Arias
A
A
Sentís
M
M
Lemos
S
S
Avelló
T
T
Martín
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain
D002784:Cholesterol
Concentraciones de colesterol sérico en los niños españoles: resultados del estudio en la isla de Menorca.