NEONATAL PLASMA LIPIDS

Abstract

The concentration of cholesterol and triglyceride was measured in the cord blood of 747 infants born in Canberra during 1971 to 1972. The mean value for cholesterol was 76 mg/100 ml and for triglyceride 51 mg/100 ml. If hyperlipidæmia is defined as a value exceeding the mean by two standard deviations, neonatal hypercholesterolæmia occurred in 5% of the infants. Since hypercholesterolæmia can be modified by diet during the early years of life, identification and treatment of neonatal hyperlipidæmia offer a simple approach to the possible control of atherosclerosis.