Serum Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels in School Age Population of a Middle-class Urvan Town in Japan

In a study of risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) in Japanese schoolchildren, serum cholesterol and triglyceride were measured in 3813 fasting schoolchildren ages 6 to 18 years, and simultaneously serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured in a randomly selected subsample of 2579 children. Mean and standard deviations as well as the fifth, 50th and 95th percentiles for serum cholesterol, triglyceride, HDLC and LDL-C for males and females were summarized by the age groups. The percentage of serum cholesterol levels higher than 200 mg/dl and triglyceride levels higher than 140 mg/dl by sex and age were also shown. In the light of the present results, it is concluded that the serum cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-C and LDL-C levels are suggested to be on the same level with those in the United States. Accordingly, the present results also appear to emphasize the importance of further studies on the serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in Japanese children, as they are emphasized in the Western countries with high CHD mortality rates.