OBESE CHILDREN SHOULD BE SCREENED FOR HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA

Screening only those with a positive family history misses many childr en with hypeucholesterolemia. This study investigated whether sensitiv ity improved by adding obesity as a criterion when screening children for choIesterol. During a two-year period screenings were conducted on 506 inner-city subjects aged 5-19. Demogrpaphic, clinical, and dietar y information was also recorded. Mean age of partcipants was 11 +/- 4 years; 52 percent were female, 53 percent black, 39 percent Hispanic, and 8 percent other Mean cholesterol level was 4.14 mmol/l (160 mg/dl) . In multivariate analysis obesity was art independent risk factor for hypercholesterolemia, F = 23.14, p < 0.001. The sensitivity of obesit y as a screening tool for hypercholesterolemia was better than that fo r positive family history (42 vs. 24 percent, respectively). Combining the two improved the sensitivity to 49 percent. The authors recommend expanding the indications for screening children to include obesity, in addition to positive family history of hypercholesterolemia or prem ature cardiovascular disease.