What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cross-Sectional. Population: Congenital heart disease (n=1579). Intervention: Lipid screening vs. No lipid screening. Primary outcome: Rate of documented lipid panel.

What does this research mean for the field?

Only 11.3% of children with congenital heart disease receive lipid screening despite guidelines, yet 60% of those screened have dyslipidemia. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine the rates of lipid screening and the prevalence of dyslipidemia in children with congenital heart disease.

July 6, 2026Pediatric CardiologyOpen Access

Lipid Screening and Dyslipidemia in Children with Congenital Heart Disease

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Key result

Only ~11% of children with congenital heart disease undergo recommended lipid screening.

n=1,579

Why the study?

Children with congenital heart disease have high lifetime cardiovascular risk, but data are limited on their rates of dyslipidemia.

Key Points

To determine the rates of lipid screening and the prevalence of dyslipidemia in children with congenital heart disease.
Retrospective single-center review of 1,579 patients aged 9–18 years with congenital heart disease followed between 2012 and 2019.
Dyslipidemia was defined as total cholesterol ≥ 200 mg/dL, LDL-C ≥ 130 mg/dL, triglycerides ≥ 130 mg/dL, HDL-C < 40 mg/dL, or non-HDL-C ≥ 145 mg/dL.
Only 11.3% of patients (179/1,579) underwent lipid screening, among whom 60% (107/179) met the broad criteria for dyslipidemia and 52% (93/179) met non-fasting criteria.
Screened subjects had a higher median BMI percentile than unscreened subjects (84th vs. 64th percentile; difference -0.21, 95% CI: -0.28 to -0.11) and included a higher proportion of Black patients (26% vs. 11%; difference -0.15, 95% CI: -0.22 to -0.08).
Patients with dyslipidemia had higher median BMI percentiles than normolipidemic peers (92nd vs. 74th percentile), while dyslipidemia rates remained comparable across race categories and heart defect lesions.

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=1,579)

Multicenter

Structured PICO

Population

1,579 children aged 9 to 18 years with congenital heart disease evaluated at a single US center to determine rates of lipid screening and dyslipidemia.

Outcome

Rates of lipid screening and prevalence of dyslipidemia

Despite universal screening guidelines, lipid screening in children with congenital heart disease is severely underutilized, missing a high prevalence of dyslipidemia in this at-risk population.

Limitations

Single center retrospective cross-sectional study limits generalizability.
Small sample size of screened patients limits demographic comparisons.
Exclusion of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).
Potential for missed lipid screenings performed outside the health system.
Unknown fasting status for lipid panels.
Lack of medication data, potentially missing patients on lipid-lowering therapy.
Missing high-risk cohort (hypoplastic left heart syndrome)
Possibility of lipid screening done outside the health system
Unknown fasting status for lipid panels
Small sample sizes for races other than White and Black

Discussion

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Implication

These observational findings should not change screening practices in congenital heart disease; prospective studies are needed to clarify dyslipidemia risk.

Cite This Study

Cheng et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Congenital heart disease (n=1,579). Lipid screening vs. No lipid screening was evaluated on Rate of documented lipid panel. Only 11.3% of children with congenital heart disease received lipid screening, but among those screened, 60% had dyslipidemia.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a4b4641997070ff83b5ba90 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-026-04367-0

View Full Paper

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Implication

These observational findings should not change screening practices in congenital heart disease; prospective studies are needed to clarify dyslipidemia risk.

Lipid Screening and Dyslipidemia in Children with Congenital Heart Disease

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Limitations

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Lipid Screening and Dyslipidemia in Children with Congenital Heart Disease

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Limitations

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Also Consider

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