Hypertriglyceridemia in a pediatric referral practice: experience with 300 patients

An infant presenting with extreme hypertriglyceridemia diagnosed as glycogen storage disease type Ia

Background Marked hypertriglyceridemia in infancy is extremely rare. Patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia in early life may be unmasked by a primary or secondary cause. Case presentation A female infant was born in a good condition with normal Apgar scores. No special clinical symptoms and signs had been found within the first two months of life. Poor oral intake and failure to thrive were two main clinical manifestations when she was referred to our hospital at the age of 3.5 months. The milky serum was the only one characteristic presentation. Laboratory testing showed extremely high level of triglycerides, cholesterol and lactate. Many other laboratory indexes cannot be detected because of severe hyperlipemic samples. Multi-gene panel testing for 249 genes about genetic and metabolic liver disease were performed. Gene analysis revealed a G6PC gene deficiency. The patient was a homozygote for c.248G > A, p.R83H and her parents were both the heterozygotes. The infant had been diagnosed as glycogen storage disease type Ia. Conclusions We report an infant presenting with extreme hypertriglyceridemia diagnosed as glycogen storage disease type Ia by genetic testing. The gene panel can be used to confirm the diagnosis and delineate the exact type of glycogen storage disease, which could ultimately really help to reduce unnecessary tests and invasive examinations. Serum lipid should be close monitoring in order to prevent the complications and improve the prognosis.

Characteristics of Children Referred to a Lipid Clinic Before and After the Universal Screening Guidelines

In 2011, universal lipid screening was recommended for children aged 9 to 11 years; the impact of this recommendation on the lipid clinic setting is unknown. We examined the rate of primary and secondary dyslipidemia diagnoses in a lipid clinic before (2010-2011) and after (2012-2015) the guideline recommendation. We conducted a retrospective study of new clinic patients aged 0 to 20 years seen between April 2010 and April 2015. Chi-square testing was applied. The 345 subjects were 58% males; 48% ≥13 years; 56% Hispanic; and 59% obese. There was no difference in the rate of dyslipidemia diagnoses between periods (before: primary 23%, secondary 73%, no dyslipidemia 4% vs after: 22%, 72%, 6%, respectively; P = .616). There was no significant difference between periods in subject demographics for the total sample, but among those with primary dyslipidemia, pre- to post-guideline percentage of subjects with public insurance decreased (71% to 39%; P = .006). Additional strategies to increase identification of children with dyslipidemia are needed.

Update on screening, etiology, and treatment of dyslipidemia in children

CONTEXT

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Early identification and treatment of risk factors that accelerate this condition are paramount to preventing disease. To this effect, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, issued updated pediatric guidelines for cardiovascular risk reduction in 2011. Integration of these guidelines into pediatric practice may lessen cardiovascular morbidity.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

In addition to reviewing the NHLBI guidelines, a detailed literature search was performed on PubMed for clinical studies published between 2010 and 2013. Key search terms included "pediatric dyslipidemia/hyperlipidemia," "cardiovascular disease," "atherosclerosis," "familial hypercholesterolemia," "hypertriglyceridemia," and "diabetes." Additional citations from these publications were also reviewed. Final publications were selected for their relevance to the topic.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

These guidelines contain several important recommendations relative to lipid management, including screening all children with nonfasting non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol at ages 9-11 years, incorporation of aggressive lifestyle changes to meet cholesterol targets, and initiation of statin therapy for those with low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol elevation. In addition, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are now considered high-risk conditions and have stringent cholesterol targets. The primary aim is early identification of children with familial hypercholesterolemia; however, these recommendations have met with some controversy. The purpose of this update is to summarize these recent lipid guidelines, present the relevant controversies, highlight common cholesterol disorders, and discuss dyslipidemia specific to the pediatric diabetes population.

CONCLUSION

Identification and treatment of youth with dyslipidemia is of paramount importance to the reduction of future cardiovascular disease. Increasing the comprehension and application of the newest NHLBI guidelines is critical to improving cardiovascular outcomes.

Using high-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplements to lower triglyceride levels in 10- to 19-year-olds

BACKGROUND

Omega-3 fatty acids supplements lower triglyceride (TG) levels in adults; little pediatric information is available. We evaluated their effect in hypertriglyceridemic adolescents.

METHODS

Twenty-five patients aged 10 to 19 years with TG levels 150 to 1000 mg/dL were randomized to 6 months double-blind trial of Lovaza (~3360 mg docosahexaenoic acid + eicosapentaenoic acid per day) versus placebo.

RESULTS

Baseline mean TG levels were 227 mg/dL (standard deviation = 49). TG levels declined at 3 months in the Lovaza group by 54 ± 27 mg/dL (mean ± standard error; P = .02) and by 34 ± 26 mg/dL (P = .16) in the placebo group. The difference in TG lowering between groups was not significant (P = .52). There were no between-group differences in endothelial function, blood pressure, body mass index, C-reactive protein, or side effects.

CONCLUSIONS

High-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplements are well tolerated in adolescents. However, declines in TG levels did not differ significantly from Placebo in this small study.

Triglyceride to HDL-C ratio and increased arterial stiffness in children, adolescents, and young adults

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Lipid levels are linked to early atherosclerosis. Risk stratification may be improved by using triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C), which relates to arterial stiffness in adults. We tested whether TG/HDL-C was an independent predictor of arterial stiffness in youth.

METHODS

Subjects 10 to 26 years old (mean 18.9 years, 39% male, 56% non-Caucasian, n = 893) had laboratory, anthropometric, blood pressure, and arterial stiffness data collected (brachial distensibility, augmentation index, carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity). Subjects were stratified into tertiles of TG/HDL-C (low, n = 227; mid, n = 288; high, n = 379).

RESULTS

There was a progressive rise in cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and arterial stiffness across TG/HDL-C ratio. The high TG/HDL-C ratio group had the stiffest vessels (all P < .03 by analysis of variance). TG/HDL-C as a continuous variable was an independent determinant of brachial distensibility in CV risk factor adjusted model and for carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity in obese subjects, with trend for higher augmentation index.

CONCLUSIONS

TG/HDL-C, an estimate of small, dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, is an independent determinant of arterial stiffness in adolescents and young adults, especially in obese youth. These data suggest that use of TG/HDL-C may be helpful in identifying young adults requiring aggressive intervention to prevent atherosclerotic CV diseases.

Childhood risk factors predict cardiovascular disease, impaired fasting glucose plus type 2 diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure 26 years later at a mean age of 38 years: the Princeton-lipid research clinics follow-up study

The objective was to assess whether pediatric risk factors predict cardiovascular disease (CVD), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) + type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and high blood pressure (HBP) in young adulthood. We performed a prospective follow-up of 909 public-parochial suburban schoolchildren first studied at ages 6 to 18 years and 26 years later at a mean age of 38 years. Pediatric triglycerides (TGs), blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, and glucose above and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol below established pediatric cutoffs, along with race, cigarette smoking, family history of CVD, T2DM, and HBP, were assessed as determinants of young adult CVD, a composite variable including IFG + T2DM and HBP. By stepwise logistic regression, adult CVD (19 yes, 862 no) was associated with pediatric high TG (odds ratio [OR], 5.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3-14.7). High TG in pediatric probands with young adult CVD was familial and was associated with early CVD in their high-TG parents. Adult IFG + T2DM (114 yes, 535 no) was associated with parental T2DM (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.38-3.6), high childhood glucose (OR, 4.43; 95% CI, 2-9.7), and childhood cigarette smoking (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.03-2.61). Adult HBP (133 yes, 475 no) was associated with pediatric high body mass index (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.7-4.3) and HBP (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5-4.3). Pediatric risk factors are significantly, independently related to young adult CVD, IFG + T2DM, and HBP. Identification of pediatric risk factors for CVD, IFG + T2DM, and HBP facilitates initiation of primary prevention programs to reduce development of adult CVD, IFG + T2DM, and HBP.