Dyslipidemia among adolescents and children from Pernambuco.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence of dyslipidemia and overweight among children and adolescents in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil.


METHODS
During clinical evaluation, a questionnaire was completed through interviews with parents and included personal details of the children and adolescents. An exclusion criterion was personal or parental history of diabetes or coronary artery disease (CAD). Blood samples were collected from subjects who had been fasting for 12 hours, and the following evaluations were performed using enzymatic methods: serum Total Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol and Triglycerides. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 11.5 statistical package including Student's t test and Fisher's exact test.


RESULTS
Of the 414 children and adolescents analyzed in the present study, about 30% presented an atherogenic lipid profile, characterized by higher levels of Triglyceride, Total and LDL- Cholesterol. The prevalence of overweight in this sample from Pernambuco was 4%. Girls had higher levels of Triglycerides and Total Cholesterol than boys. Children and adolescents presented the same values of lipid on blood that is not expected for children in this phase of development.


CONCLUSIONS
In the present population, an unfavorable lipid profile among children and adolescents from Pernambuco suggests that programs targeting the prevention of cardiovascular disease and obesity must begin early in life.
de Franca
Everaldo
E
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto Materno Infantil de Pernambuco e Escola de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Materno, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. everaldo.franca@ufrgs.br
Alves
João Guilherme Bezerra
JG
D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires