Randomized trial assesses the effectiveness of parent history for identifying hypercholesterolemia in youths, suggesting limited usefulness.
Key Points
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of using parent history of hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease as a screening tool for hypercholesterolemia in youths.
Population-based survey conducted with 3665 Quebec youths aged 9, 13, and 16 years.
Blood specimens collected from 2475 youths; parental questionnaire data gathered from 3048 respondents.
Test performance statistics evaluated for identifying borderline/high and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels.
25.6% prevalence of positive parent history among subjects.
Sensitivity for borderline/high LDL-C was 33.1%, while specificity was 76.0%.
Sensitivity for high LDL-C was 40.7%, with a specificity of 75.1%; test performance was not improved by additional criteria.