ESPE Abstracts

Background: Cholesterol levels are variable throughout childhood and adolescence. The attention not only to conventional lipid profiles but also to non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and triglyceride to HDL-C ratio (TG/HDL-C ratio) are becoming more apparent in pediatric lipid studies because of their clinical importance.

Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the present study was to establish age- and gender-specific reference values for serum lipid profiles in Korean children and adolescents.

Method: A total 6,197 subjects aged 10 to 19 years old from KNHANES 2007–2013 were enrolled. Reference values were developed for the serum lipid levels including non-HDL-C and TG/HDL-C ratio.

Results: The mean concentration of non-HDL-C was 105.5±25.6 mg/dL in total subjects with significant gender difference; 103.3±26.1 in boys and 107.9±24.7 in girls (P=0.028). The median values for non-HDL-C in boys and girls were 111 and 112 mg/dL in 10-year-old age; 95 and 103 mg/dL in 15-year-old age; and 109 and 103 mg/dL in 19-year-old age, respectively. The mean TG/HDL-C ratio was 1.74±1.22 in total subjects and it was not different between two genders; 1.77±1.25 in boys and 1.72±1.22 in girls (P=0.183). The median values for TG/HDL-C ratio in boys and girls were 1.16 and 1.00 in 10-year-old age; 1.54 and 0.95 in 15-year-old age; and 1.74 and 0.84 in 19-year-old age, respectively.

Conclusion: Age- and gender-specific reference values for non-HDL-C and TG/HDL-C ratio can provide clinicians with useful information that will allow for the proper care of children and adolescents. Based on the present study results, we cannot overlook the lipid profiles in young children because their reference values are not significantly differ from late adolescents.