Arriaga-Cázares HE, Vega-Morales D, Moreno-Treviño CA, Juarez-Juarez JL, Pérez-Arizmendi CA, Martagón-Rosado AJ. Comparison of Two Strategies for Hypercholesterolemia Detection through Point-of-Care Testing.
Diagnostics (Basel) 2024;
14:143. [PMID:
38248020 PMCID:
PMC10814133 DOI:
10.3390/diagnostics14020143]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Childhood dyslipidemia is a common condition that can lead to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in adulthood. It is usually multifactorial. Screening for cholesterol disorders in children varies based on risk factors, with some guidelines recommending cascade screening for children with a clear family history of familial hypercholesterolemia, targeted screening for those with specific risk factors, and universal screening. Point-of-care testing (POCT) cholesterol tests offer potential advantages, including ease of use, portability, increased patient access, low cost, fewer medical or laboratory visits, and instant results. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of POCT cholesterol screening on the diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia in children in a family practice setting.
METHODS
We used a POCT cholesterol analyzer to perform two different (universal and targeted) screening approaches for dyslipidemia in children. We used the NCEP guidelines for the classification of the results.
RESULTS
We screened 183 children, 105 in the universal screening group and 78 in the targeted screening group. Eight patients in the targeted screening group had elevated cholesterol levels (p = 0.02).
CONCLUSIONS
All participants received instant feedback and recommendations. Using a targeted screening approach, POCT could be a practical and effective tool for identifying at-risk children with hypercholesterolemia.
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