Background: Current reference values for pediatric dyslipidemia used in China were not developed based on local population studies and did not consider age and sex differences.
Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine suitable reference values for total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (nonHDL-C) for Chinese children and adolescents using a national multicenter school-based study.
Methods: A total of 15,830 students aged 6-17 years were recruited from seven provinces of China. Age- and sex-specific percentile values for each lipid indicator were derived based on levels measured in the fasting state, and percentile curves of each indicator were plotted using the LMS method.
Results: Serum lipid levels varied considerably with age in both sexes. Among boys, the cut-off value for high TC, nonHDL-C, LDL-C, and TG, based on the value of the 95th percentiles, ranged from 4.58 to 5.39, 3.34 to 3.99, 2.69 to 3.31, and 1.22 to 1.83 mmol/L, respectively; among girls, the cut-off value for high TC, nonHDL-C, LDL-C, and TC ranged from 5.01 to 5.39, 3.66 to 3.97, 2.97 to 3.32, and 1.41 to 1.93 mmol/L, respectively. The cut-point for low HDL-C ranged from 0.84 to 1.08 mmol/L in boys and from 0.89 to 1.04 mmol/L in girls.
Conclusion: These findings may help to determine age- and sex-specific reference values for serum lipids among Chinese children and adolescents and provide valuable guidance for screening of dyslipidemia.
Keywords: Adolescents; Children; Dyslipidemia; Reference values; Serum lipids.
Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.