Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Dec 16:3:29.
doi: 10.1186/1476-511X-3-29.

Correlates of serum lipoprotein (A) in children and adolescents in the United States. The third National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES-III)

Thomas O Obisesan  1 , Muktar H Aliyu, Abayomi S Adediran, Vernon Bond, Celia J Maxwell, Charles N Rotimi
Affiliations

Correlates of serum lipoprotein (A) in children and adolescents in the United States. The third National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES-III)

Thomas O Obisesan et al. Lipids Health Dis. .

Abstract

Objective: To determine the correlates of serum lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) in children and adolescents in the United States.

Methods: Cross-sectional study using representative data from a US national sample for persons aged 4-19 years participating in The Third National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES-III).

Results: We observed ethnicity-related differences in levels of Lp(a) > 30 mg/dl, with values being markedly higher in African American (black) than nonhispanic white (white) and Mexican American children in multivariate model (P < 0.001). Higher levels of Lp(a) > 30 mg/dl associated with parental history of body mass index and residence in metro compared to nonmetro in Blacks, and high birth weight in Mexican American children in the NHANES-III. In the entire group, total cholesterol (which included Lp(a)) and parental history of premature heart attack/angina before age 50 (P < 0.02) showed consistent, independent, positive association with Lp(a). In subgroup analysis, this association was only evident in white (P = 0.04) and black (P = 0.05) children. However, no such collective consistent associations of Lp(a) were found with age, gender, or birth weight.

Conclusion: Ethnicity-related differences in mean Lp(a) exist among children and adolescents in the United States and parental history of premature heart attack/angina significantly associated with levels of Lp(a) in children. Further research on the associations of Lp(a) levels in childhood with subsequent risk of atherosclerosis is needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percent Frequency of Lp(a) mg/dl in children aged 4–16 years, by ethnic group in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of lipoprotein(a) concentration > 30 mg/dl in children aged 4–16 years, by combined ethnic group, and parental history of heart disease or angina, high cholesterol, or diabetes below age 50 in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Huang KC, Lue BH, Yen RF, Shen CG, Ho SR, Tai TY, Yang WS. Plasma adiponectin levels and metabolic factors in nondiabetic adolescents. Obes Res. 2004;12:119–124. - PubMed
    1. Wild SH, Fortmann SP, Marcovina SM. A prospective case-control study of lipoprotein(a) levels and apo(a) size and risk of coronary heart disease in Stanford Five-City Project participants. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1997;17:239–245. - PubMed
    1. Craig WY, Neveux LM, Palomaki GE, Cleveland MM, Haddow JE. Lipoprotein(a) as a risk factor for ischemic heart disease: metaanalysis of prospective studies. Clin Chem. 1998;44:2301–2306. - PubMed
    1. Rotimi CN, Cooper RS, Marcovina SM, McGee D, Owoaje E, Ladipo M. Serum distribution of lipoprotein(a) in African Americans and Nigerians: potential evidence for a genotype-environmental effect. Genet Epidemiol. 1997;14:157–168. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2272(1997)14:2<157::AID-GEPI5>3.0.CO;2-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marcovina SM, Albers JJ, Wijsman E, Zhang Z, Chapman NH, Kennedy H. Differences in Lp[a] concentrations and apo[a] polymorphs between black and white Americans. J Lipid Res. 1996;37:2569–2585. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources