Fibrinogen as a cardiovascular risk factor in Spanish children and adolescents. The Niño Jesus Group.

Studies done on adults reveal a significant role of fibrinogen (FG) in cardiovascular disease. The main purpose of our study was to determine the level of plasma FG in children, its distribution according to age and sex, and its relationship to other cardiovascular risk factors such as cigarette smoking, plasma lipid disturbances, and a positive family history for other cardiovascular risk factors. We studied a population of 2224 children, aged 2 to 18 years, from five different schools located in Madrid. We found a significantly higher level of FG in the groups of females aged 6 to 8 and 16 to 18 years than in males of the same ages (p < 0.001). The study population was distributed into two groups according to the plasma fibrinogen level: > 394 mg/dl and < 394 mg/dl. In both groups we determined plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol and found these parameters significantly higher in the group with an FG level > 394 mg/dl (p < 0.05).

Urinary albumin excretion in Spanish children. Niño Jesus Group.

We measured urinary albumin excretion in 2,224 school-children (1,168 boys, 1,056 girls) aged 2-18 years, between 1989 and 1990 to establish reference values. We recorded all pathological antecedents and findings from physical examination, including anthropometric parameters and arterial blood pressure. The analytical study included serum total protein, albumin and creatinine. The second-morning urine and the nightly (rest) 10-h urine sample were collected and we determined the concentration of albumin and creatinine. We found a positive statistically significant correlation between the urinary albumin excretion (micrograms/10 h) and age, height, weight and body surface area. We suggest that it would be useful to relate the urinary albumin excretion to body surface area. The mean value for albumin excretion was 3.49 micrograms/ml in boys and 3.63 micrograms/ml in girls. The urinary albumin/creatinine ratio showed a high correlation with the albumin excretion (r = 0.958).