Tehran University of Medical Sciences The Research in Heart Yield and Translational Medicine (RHYTHM) 3115-7270 11 1 2016 07 04 15 20 EN Fatemeh Taheri Birjand Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Toba Kazemi Birjand Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Bita Bijari Birjand Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Kokab Namakin Birjand Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Mahmoud Zardast Birjand Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Tayyebeh Chahkandi Birjand Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. 2016 03 15 2016 03 15 Background: Various studies have indicated that dyslipidemia starts in childhood. There is a relationship between the concentration of blood lipids and atherosclerosis. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of dyslipidemia in elementary school children. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 1,626 (882 girls and 744 boys) elementary school children aged between 6 and 11 years in Birjand in 2012. Samples were selected through multistage random sampling. The lipid profiles (i.e., cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C]) of the subjects were measured after 12 hours’ fasting. The definition of dyslipidemia was based on the criteria of The American Children Academia in 2011.   Results: Dyslipidemia (at least one abnormal level of a serum lipid) was detected in 31% of the children (31.3% of the girls vs. 30.6% of the boys). Total cholesterol was ≥ 200 mg/dL in 13.4% of the children, LDL-C was ≥ 130 mg/dL in 8.5%, HDL-C was < 40 mg/dL in 11.3%, and triglyceride was ≥ 130 mg/dL in 15.3%. The prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was significantly higher in the females than in the males (16.3% in the girls vs. 13.8% in the boys; p value = 0.01) - while hypercholesterolemia (12.2% in the girls vs. 14.9% in the boys; p value = 0.16), high LDL-C (8.5% in the girls vs. 8.5% in the boys; p value = 0.05), and low HDL-C (12.7% in the girls vs. 9.5% in the boys; p value = 0.1) were not significantly different between the two sexes. Conclusion: The prevalence of dyslipidemia was high in the school children in Birjand and, thus, requires preventive measures.  https://rhythm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jthc/article/view/511 https://rhythm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jthc/article/download/511/409