The cut-off values for non-fasting routine lipid parameters in presumably healthy 9–11-year-old children

Disorders of lipid metabolism cause accelerated atherosclerosis and increase cardiovascular risk, which is why lipid profile screening, especially at a young age, should be widely applied.Aim. The aim of the study was to determine the cut-off points for non-fasting lipid parameters in presumably healthy children aged 9-11 years.Material and methods. The study was performed with the use of blood samples taken in non-fasting state from 289 school children of both sexes (152 girls and 137 boys). Routine lipid profile was assessed: TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides. Laboratory measurements were performed in serum samples using abiochemical autoanalyser.Results. In this study we determined the 97.5 percentile values for TC, LDL-C, and triglycerides and the 2.5 percentile values for HDL-C. The upper cut-offs for TC, LDL-C, and triglycerides were found to be 239 mg/dL, 163 mg/dL, and 284 mg/dL, respectively, and the lower cut-off for HDL-C was 37 mg/dL.Conclusions. The upper range of non-fasting total cholesterol was higher by about 30 mg/dL compared to fasting state for a similar age range; the cut-off points in non-fasting children for LDL-C and TG were also higher. The lower cut-off for HDL-C was similar compared to fasting state for the respective age range. The determination of the non-fasting cut-off values for routine lipid profile in the paediatric population is essential for the proper evaluation of the cardiovascular risk because using the reference values for adults may cause an incorrect interpretation of the laboratory results