Objective: The cut-off value for hypercholesterolemia and normal HDL levels for Korean children are still not established despite increasing hypercholesterolemia with recent socioeconomic change. One of the aims of this study is to screen the serum total cholesterol and HDL levels in normal Korean shool children, and another is to evaluate the relationships between serum lipid levels and obesity. Methods: Venous blood samples for cholesterol and HDL were taken in the morning after overnight fasting from 152 healthy school children who live in Seoul. Body weight and height were measured and obesity indices were calculated also. Results: Of the healthy 152 school children, mean level of serum total cholesterol was 185.7mg/dL and that of HDL was 52.8mg/dL. Boys had higher total cholesterol levels than girls (190.5mg/dL vs. 180.0mg/dL). Sexual difference of HDL was not found and the mean proportion of HDL to total cholesterol was 28.9%. There was moderate reverse correlation between total cholesterol and proportion of H to total cholesterol. There were no correlations between total cholesterol, HDL and obesity index each other. To our surprise, children with high serum total cholesterol levels were not always obese and vice versa. Moreover, children with high total cholesterol tended to have relatively low HDL proportion to the total cholesterol, which meant high risk of astheroselerotic change in thefeature. Conclusion: In normal chidren, serum total cholesterol level is not correlate well with obesity in most cases. Current thought of the pediatrician that serum total cholesterol will be checked in obese child only may many normal looking hypercholesterolemias. More wide studies must be necessary to get the normal values of serum lipid and to make an appropriate screening system for hypercholesterolemia in Korean children.
Body Weight ; Child* ; Cholesterol* ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Mass Screening ; Obesity* ; Reference Values ; Seoul