Diagnostic Criteria and Lipid Screening of Dyslipidemia in Children

Obesity is associated with significant morbidities and life-threatening conditions. Evidence shows that obesity in the pediatric population has increased by ten folds recently. This has been attributed to the remarkable recent alternations in socioeconomic factors and the overall increase in the incidence of obesity among the different populations. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases is usually initiated in childhood. Previous studies indicates that early identification and proper treatment of dyslipidemia in the pediatric population can significantly reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and associated morbidities. Therefore, it is vital to screen children's lipid profiles to identify dyslipidemia and apply better interventions. This can significantly reduce the risk of premature cardiovascular diseases and accelerated atherosclerosis. The present study aims to identify the diagnostic criteria and various lipid screening approaches proposed in the literature to identify dyslipidemia in children. Two main approaches for screening dyslipidemia in children were reported. These include universal and selective screening approaches. While the latter is recommended to identify high-risk children, universal screening is also recommended to identify children missed by targeted screening (usually treated by pharmacological modalities).