Dyslipidaemia in African Children and Adolescents

*Bose Etaniamhe Orimadegun*

## **Abstract**

Dyslipidaemia tends to occur in children and adolescents and steadily worsens through to adulthood. The abnormal lipid profile in children with this disease is like what we see in adults with premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). Identifying children with dyslipidaemia and successfully improving their lipid profile may reduce their risk of accelerated atherosclerosis and premature CVD. In those children with severe dyslipidaemia due to a family history, treatment is used to decrease the risk of cardiogenic events. Screening for lipid disorders in children is based on the rationale that early identification and control of paediatric dyslipidaemia will reduce the risk and severity of cardiovascular complications in adulthood. Though lipid disorders and associated diseases are rare in children in Africa, there has been little research in this field. Emerging research indicates that obesity and cholesterol concerns is on the rise within children and adolescents of African descent. The definition of paediatric dyslipidaemia and the approach to screening, and diagnosis of lipid disorders in children are discussed in this chapter.

**Keywords:** hypercholesterolemia, lipid disorders, cardiovascular risk, dyslipidaemia, lipoprotein cholesterol

#### **1. Introduction**

Overweight and obesity are proven cardiovascular risk factors for both adults and children [1]. These conditions are associated with increasing risk of dyslipidaemia [2, 3]. Unfortunately, the world has experienced a huge increase in obesity with a parallel increase in the risk factor for cardiometabolic disease characterised by insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension, known together as metabolic syndrome [4]. These conditions were previously unheard of in children and adolescents but are now documented in the literature [5]. Current evidence has shown that atherosclerosis, predominantly adult diseases marked by the accumulation of fatty material on the inner wall of the arteries, starts in childhood as an alteration of lipid concentration and can be related through puberty to modifications that contribute to the development of this disorder. Children and adolescents with elevated cholesterol levels are more likely to experience dyslipidaemia in adults than their counterparts in the same population [6, 7]. Identification of dyslipidaemia is therefore essential for the prevention or cessation of atherosclerotic processes during childhood and ultimately for the prevention of premature cardiovascular disease.

Lipid disorders and related diseases are rare in children and adolescents in Africa and there is a scarcity of literature on this topic. However, emerging data indicates

that the incidence and prevalence of obesity and dyslipidaemia is on the rise in the population of African children and adolescents, partially due to shifts in economic and lifestyle towards the trends in the Western world [8]. Serious comorbidities, complications, and cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and smoking, are correlated with dyslipidaemia. As a result, more attention tends to be paid to the increasing problems of dyslipidaemia among the African population in recent years. The key objectives of this chapter are to discuss the burden of dyslipidaemia, diagnosis, risk factors and health problems, as well as gaps in awareness of dyslipidaemia in children and adolescents in Africa.
