Hypercholesterolaemia in schoolchildren in Lagos, Nigeria: an indication of a growing threat of cardiovascular disease?

Background: There is growing burden of cardiovascular disease in developing countries and the pathogenesis of artherosclerotic damage starts in childhood

Objective: The study is to examine the prevalence of hyperlipidaemia in schoolchildren in Lagos, as it relates to both socio-demographic and anthropometric correlates

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among urban and rural adolescent schoolchildren aged between 10 and 19 years in Eti-Osa Local Government Area (EOLGA) of Lagos State. A structured questionnaire was used to get information relating to socio-demographic characteristics, family history of cardiovascular disease, lifestyle habits and socio-economic class, and the students were examined for height, weight and cholesterol levels.

Results: Two hundred and eighty eight subjects in the urban region and 72 subjects in the rural region of Eti-Osa LGA participated in the study. The mean age was 15.6 +/- 2.2 years with a range of 10 to 18.9 years. The mean serum total cholesterol was 148.1 mg/dl with a range of 100 to 254 mg/dl. There was significant correlation between serum cholesterol and gender only in the 12-13.9 year group. Neither place of residence nor age had any significant correlation to serum cholesterol. Thirteen (3.6%) students had elevated serum total cholesterol of e"200 mg/dl. Four subjects had BMls above the 95th centile, giving a prevalence rate of 1.1%. They were females, living and schooling in the urban area and three-quarters were of high socio-economic class.

Conclusion: Strengthening pre-enrollment medical and physical examinations, regular measurement of weight, height and BMI and laying emphasis on important lifestyle modifications early in the formative years are important to prevent development of non-communicable disease later in life.