LEVELS OF LIPOPROTEIN(A) AND PLASMA-LIPIDS IN SPANISH CHILDREN AGED FROM 4 TO 18 YEARS

Increased plasma lipoprotein(a)-Lp(a)-levels are linked to a high risk of cardiovascular disease unrelated to other lipoproteins. II seems t hat Lp(a) values in childhood remain unaltered up to adulthood. In a r andomly chosen population of 1970 children, aged from 4 to 18 years an d living in a Spanish community, the following serum parameters were s tudied: total choleslerol, total triglycerides, Lp(a), high-density li poprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Mean Lp (a) serum values were 15.0 +/- 14.7 mg dl(-1). No differences were see n between either sex in the first years of childhood. Of the studied c hildren, 15.1% presented Lp(a) concentrations above 30 mg dl(-1). A co rrelation between Lp(a) and total cholesterol concentrations, which di sappeared when low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were corrected according to cholesterol present in Lp(a), was observed.