Reference intervals for serum lipids and prevalence of dyslipidaemia in 6–12-year-old children: The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP)

Abstract

Aims: Elevated serum lipid concentrations in childhood are thought to be risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease later in life. The present study aims to provide age- and gender-related reference intervals for total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and non-HDL cholesterol in healthy school children. We also investigated the prevalence of dyslipidaemia using the published criteria for these biomarkers. Methods: Venous blood and anthropometric data were collected from 1340 children in the HOPP study, aged between 6 and 12 years. Age- and gender-related reference intervals (2.5th and 97.5th percentiles) were established according to the IFCC recommendations, using the software RefVal 4.10. Results: Gender differences were observed for total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, but not for HDL cholesterol. Age differences were observed for total cholesterol. The reference intervals were in the range of 3.1–5.9 mmol/L for total cholesterol, 1.0–2.4 mmol/L for HDL cholesterol and 1.4–4.2 mmol/L for non-HDL cholesterol. Dyslipidaemia prevalence was as follows: increased TC 9.6%, decreased HDL 1.6%, and increased non-HDL 5.6%. Conclusions: Age- and gender-related reference intervals in a Norwegian population are similar to those reported in other countries. The prevalence of dyslipidaemia among Norwegian children is significant, emphasising the importance of appropriate reference intervals in clinical practice.