ESPE Abstracts

Background: Steroid is a standard treatment for several chronic diseases in children, such as autoimmune or rheumatology disease. However, despite its benefit, steroids have many side effects, including dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia in childhood increases the risk of atherosclerosis development that can progress into cardiovascular disease. Dyslipidemia is diagnosed using the lipid profile of the patient. The aim of this study was to determine the association between steroid therapy (dose, duration, and type) and lipid profiles (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride) in children with chronic disease.

Methods: This retrospective study included 18 children aged 0-18 years who consumed steroids due to their chronic disease and consulted to the endocrinology specialist from January 2022 – February 2023. Anthropometric measurements and lipid profile examination were performed. We converted the steroid dose from other types of steroid equivalent to prednisone. The association between the type of steroid, duration, and steroid dose with lipid profiles was assessed using one-way ANOVA. A P-value of <0.05 is considered to be significant.

Results: Ten girls and eight boys were included in this study. Most children in this study were treated with steroids because of nephrotic syndrome (n=6), followed by ITP (n=5) and SLE (n=2). Six children use steroids in low-moderate doses daily; 12 children use steroids in high doses daily. The type of steroids used as a treatment in this study were methylprednisolone, prednisone, and betamethasone. There was no association between the type of steroid with the patients' lipid profiles. This study found a significant difference between the duration of steroid use and triglyceride levels (P-value 0.036). The dose of steroids was found to be significant in influencing LDL levels (P-value 0.003) and total cholesterol levels (P-value 0.002) in the subjects.

Conclusion: Steroid use in children with chronic disease could affect their lipid profile. This study found that the duration of steroids is associated with triglyceride levels, while the dose of steroids was associated with LDL and total cholesterol levels. Routine monitoring of lipid profiles and any dyslipidemia signs in children treated with steroids is recommended.