Serum Lipid Profile

Early onset of coronary disease in younger age has strong association with family history and it is more prevalent in the first degree relatives of IHD patients. Reports of high incidence of hyperlipidemia and hyper lipoproteinemia in children of the parents with IHD emphasize the importance of examining lipid profile in families with history of IHD, in order to identify 'high risk' individuals at early stage. This study analyzed the serum lipids and lipoproteins of apparently healthy offspring of IHD fathers, and found significantly higher levels compared to the offspring of healthy fathers. Moreover significantly higher frequency of hyperlipidemia and hyper lioproteinemia were observed in the otherwise healthy offspring of IHD patients. This study reveals that offspring of IHD patients are more prone to develop hyperlipidemia and may be at risk of developing early atherosclerosis and need routine screening for lipid profile. Routine screening in families may help to identify the risk children at early stage, and to take appropriate preventive measures.