Serum lipid concentration in newborns from various ethnic groups in Israel.

Serum cholesterol was determined in the cord blood of 438 newborns and repeated on venous samples from the same infants at the ages of 6 and 18 months. Of 36 infants who were originally defined as hypercholesterolemic, 28 had normal values by the age of six months. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia at birth was 8%. No differences were noted among the five ethnic groups examined. The results suggest that serum cholesterol level at birth is of limited value for the early detection of familial hypercholesterolemia.