Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Biochemical and Anthropometric Outcomes in Paediatric Patients with Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia after COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns: An Exploratory Analysis

2024; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute; Volume: 16; Issue: 13 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3390/nu16132170

2072-6643

María Angélica de Almeida Peres, André Moreira-Rosário, Gonçalo Padeira, Patrícia Gaspar Silva, Carla Correia, Andreia Nunes, Elena Grau García, Ana Faria, Diana Teixeira, Conceição Calhau, Luís Pereira‐da‐Silva, Ana Cristina Ferreira, Júlio César Rocha,

COVID-19 and healthcare impacts

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns affected the lifestyles of children and adolescents, leading to an increase in childhood obesity. Paediatric patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) may be more susceptible to lockdown effects due to their increased cardiovascular risk. However, data are lacking. We investigated the effect of lockdowns on the metabolic profile of paediatric patients with FH. Blood lipids and anthropometry measured in September 2021–April 2022 were retrospectively compared with pre-pandemic values. Thirty participants were included (1–16 years; 57% female). From baseline to post-pandemic, median [P25, P75] blood LDL-C concentration was 125 [112, 150] mg/dL vs. 125 [100, 147] mg/dL (p = 0.894); HDL-C was 58 [52, 65] mg/dL vs. 56 [51, 61] mg/dL (p = 0.107); triglycerides were 64 [44, 86] mg/dL vs. 59 [42, 86] mg/dL (p = 0.178). The BMI z-score did not change significantly (0.19 [−0.58, 0.89] vs. 0.30 [−0.48, 1.10], p = 0.524). The lack of deterioration in metabolic profiles during lockdowns is positive, as some deterioration was expected. We speculate that patients and caregivers were successfully educated about healthy lifestyle and dietary habits. Our results should be interpreted with caution since the study sample was small and heterogeneous. Multicentre research is needed to better understand the impact of lockdowns on this population.