title: ERICA: prevalence of dyslipidemia in Brazilian adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE To determine the distribution of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in Brazilian adolescents, as well as the prevalence of altered levels of such parameters. METHODS Data from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA) were used. This is a country-wide, school-based cross-sectional study that evaluated 12 to 17-year old adolescents living in cities with over 100,000 inhabitants. The average and distribution of plasma levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were evaluated. Dyslipidemia was determined by levels of total cholesterol ≥ 170 mg/dl, LDL cholesterol ≥ 130 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol < 45 mg/dL, or triglycerides ≥ 130 mg/dl. The data were analyzed by gender, age, and regions in Brazil. RESULTS We evaluated 38,069 adolescents - 59.9% of females, and 54.2% between 15 and 17 years. The average values found were: total cholesterol = 148.1 mg/dl (95%CI 147.1-149.1), HDL cholesterol = 47.3 mg/dl (95%CI 46.7-47.9), LDL cholesterol = 85.3 mg/dl (95%CI 84.5-86.1), and triglycerides = 77.8 mg/dl (95%CI 76.5-79.2). The female adolescents had higher average levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol, without differences in the levels of triglycerides. We did not observe any significant differences between the average values among 12 to 14 and 15- to 17-year old adolescents. The most prevalent lipid alterations were low HDL cholesterol (46.8% [95%CI 44.8-48.9]), hypercholesterolemia (20.1% [95%CI 19.0-21.3]), and hypertriglyceridemia (7.8% [95%CI 7.1-8.6]). High LDL cholesterol was found in 3.5% (95%CI 3.2-4.0) of the adolescents. Prevalence of low HDL cholesterol was higher in Brazil's North and Northeast regions. CONCLUSIONS A significant proportion of Brazilian adolescents has alterations in their plasma lipids. The high prevalence of low HDL cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia, especially in Brazil's North and Northeast regions, must be analyzed in future studies, to support the creation of strategies for efficient interventions.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Epidemiologia e Pesquisa Clínica, Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: José Rocha
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Faria Neto
authors.affiliation: Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Vivian Freitas Rezende
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Bento
authors.affiliation: Centro de Epidemiologia e Pesquisa Clínica, Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Cristina Pellegrino
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Baena
authors.affiliation: Centro de Epidemiologia e Pesquisa Clínica, Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olandoski
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, RO, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luis Gonzaga de Oliveira
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Social, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Gabriela de Azevedo
authors.initials: Gde A
authors.lastname: Abreu
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Estudos da Saúde do Adolescente, Faculdade de Ciência Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina Caetano
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kuschnir
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Estudos em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Katia Vergetti
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Bloch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides