Prevalence of Dyslipidemia among School-Age Children and Adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ousman Mohammed; Melkitu Kassaw; Letebrhan G/Egzeabher; Endalkachew Fekadu; Demiraw Bikila; Tigist Getahun; Feyissa Challa; Ahmedmenewer Abdu; Kassu Desta; Mistire Wolde; Aster Tsegaye

doi:10.1055/s-0042-1757229

Prevalence of Dyslipidemia among School-Age Children and Adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

J Lab Physicians. 2022 Oct 20;14(4):377-383. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1757229. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia.
² Food Science and Nutrition Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Yekatit 12 General Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁴ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Sent Emanuel Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁵ Department of National Clinical Chemistry Reference Laboratory, Ethiopian Public Health institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁶ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
⁷ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Objective Lipid abnormalities during childhood might be associated with a higher risk of atherosclerosis development in adulthood. In Ethiopia, there were no data on this area. The present work was aimed at assessing the lipid profile abnormalities among children and adolescents aged between 5 and 17 years, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Materials and Methods The present school-based cross-sectional study was done from March 2019 to October 2019 in the capital city, Addis Ababa. A total of 504 students were randomly recruited for this study. The total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were determined using the Cobas c501 automated chemistry analyzer. The prevalence of lipid abnormalities was described in percentages. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed, and data with p -value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Dyslipidemia in at least one of the lipid profiles was observed in 322 (63.9%) school children, whereas only one of the participants had an abnormality in all four lipid profile tests. The prevalence of total cholesterol 200 mg/dL or higher, low-density lipoprotein 130 mg/dL or higher, high-density lipoprotein less than 40 mg/dL, and triglycerides 130 mg/dL or higher was in 14 (2.8%), 16 (3.2%), 294 (58.4%), and 46 (19.1%) participants, respectively. Conclusion In the current work, the majority of the study participants had a normal lipid profile except increased prevalence of a reduced concentration of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The overall prevalence of serum lipid abnormalities was 63.9%. Serum lipid levels did not show significant differences with sex, age, fasting habits, or obesity.

Keywords: adolescents; children; dyslipidemia; lipid profile.

The Indian Association of Laboratory Physicians. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).

Grants and funding

Funding This research was supported by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute and Ministry of Innovation and Technology. However, they have no role in manuscript writing, editing, approval, or decision to publish.