title: Lipid profiles of children with Down syndrome compared with their siblings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to compare serum lipid profiles, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) between children with Down syndrome (DS) and their non-DS siblings. We hypothesized that the children with DS would have higher TC, LDL, and TG and lower HDL. The secondary aim was to explore if the difference in lipid profiles could be explained by differences in weight status.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study. Fasting lipid profile was obtained from 27 children with DS and 31 siblings between 4 and 10 years of age with no severe comorbidities (heart disease, cancer, hypothyroidism, diabetes, or obesity). BMI was calculated and BMI z scores were used to account for differences in BMI throughout childhood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with DS had higher TC (difference, 11.2 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval: 2.5-19.9; P = .01), LDL (12.8 mg/dL; 7.2-18.4; P < .001), TG (33.6 mg/dL; 11.1-56.1; P = .003), and lower HDL (-7.6 mg/dL; -12.1 to -3.0; P = .001) after adjustment for race, gender, age, and ethnicity. Results remained significant after additional adjustment for BMI z score: TC (14.9 mg/dL; 4.9-24.9; P = .003), LDL (16.6 mg/dL; 10.1-23.2; P < .001), TG (32.7 mg/dL; 7.7-57.7; P = .01), and lower HDL (-6.4 mg/dL; -12.2 to -0.7; P = .03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with DS have less favorable lipid profiles than their siblings independent of weight status. These findings may have important implications for the screening and treatment of this large population at increased risk for ischemic heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Child Development, Rehabilitation and Metabolic Diseases, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3550 Market St, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. adelekan@email.chop.edu
authors.forename: Tahira
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adelekan
authors.forename: Sheela
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Magge
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shults
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stallings
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stettler
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D035781:Siblings; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides