OBJECTIVE: To describe the lipid profile and the prevalence of hypercholestrolemia among schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 years in Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil. METHODS: Plasma cholesterol levels, fractions, ratios and triglycerides were determined according to age and gender in a total of 1,600 schoolchildren. Hypercholestrolemia was considered borderline for 170 mg/dl<= cholesterol <185 mg/dl, moderate for 185 mg/dl<= cholesterol <200 mg/dl and severe for cholesterol > or = 200 mg/dl. RESULTS: Schoolchildren presented a cholesterol mean of 160 mg/dl, HDL-cholesterol mean of 49 mg/dl, LDL-cholesterol mean of 96 mg/dl, VLDL-cholesterol mean of 16 mg/dl, triglycerides mean of 79 mg/dl, cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol mean of 3.5 and LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol mean of 2.1. In general, females had higher cholesterol and triglycerides values than males. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was 35.0%: 15.6% was borderline high, 9.8% moderate and 9.5% severe. Females presented higher prevalence of hypercholesterolemia than males. CONCLUSIONS: The results pointed to the emergence of hypercholesterolemia as a public health problem in Brazil.
Hipercholesterolemia; Cholesterol; School health; Lipides; Lipoproteins, VLDL cholesterol; Lipoproteins, LDL cholesterol; Cross-sectional studies
