Atherosclerosis and its evolution in childhood

Cardiovascular risk factors in childhood are related to arterial wall changes that lead to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in later life. Atherosclerosis begins early in life. The observations of early arterial wall connective tissue changes and accompanying early lipid deposition show the importance of understanding cardiovascular risk factors in children. Since risk factors found in childhood are potentially predictive of adult coronary heart disease, methods for prevention of atherosclerosis should begin in children. Rational strategies should be directed to removing atherogenic forces that work in a child at high risk. Primary prevention of atherosclerosis has its maximal potential when begun before advanced irreversible lesions can occur. Consideration needs to be directed to how cardiovascular connective tissue changes and lipid and calcium deposition can be modulated in the injury and healing processes. It is important to recognize that adult coronary artery disease is really a major pediatric problem.     

Coronary Risk Factors, II

Summary: Prospects for prevention of atherosclerosis in the young. There appears to be a need to protect our young from an atherogenic way of life. The average male child today has one chance in three of a cardiovascular catastrophe before age 60. Atherosclerosis and the conditions which predispose appear to have their onset in childhood. Correctable precursors of cardiovascular disease have been identified, and their contribution to risk has been estimated not only for adults but for college students as well. An analysis of the combined impact of atherogenic risk factors indicates that they exert greater force early in life than later. Although the optimal time to begin prophylaxis is not established, there is evidence to suggest that measures instituted late in life when lesions are advanced is of only limited value. Prevention of atherosclerosis is best viewed as a family affair since the propensity to disease and contributing factors tend to be shared by family members. It is also difficult to implement effectively preventive measures which include dietary changes, weight control, exercise and restriction of cigarettes for one family member without involving the rest of the family. Optimal levels of the correctable precursors of cardiovascular disease are not established for children. However, the rise in serum lipids, blood pressure, weight and blood sugar observed in transition from childhood to adult life is not inevitable, or desirable. Paediatricians can alter the appalling cardiovascular mortality statistics by not allowing the process or the habits and conditions which promote it to reach an irreversible stage. Cardiovascular disease may well begin in childhood with “medical trivia” such as a tendency to obesity, moderate cholesterol and blood pressure elevations, lack of exercise and the cigarette habit. In some respects a heart attack at age 45 can be regarded as a failure of the paediatrician. Awaiting proof of the efficacy of the indicated prophylactic measures is not acceptable since this will be a long time in coming. We must learn how to correct risk factors effectively in childhood as soon as they appear. We must establish goals based on optimal as distinct from usual levels of risk factors. Paediatricians' resolve about prevention of atherosclerosis in childhood needs to be strengthened and we must develop a sense of urgency about this.     

Risk factors and predictive biomarkers of early cardiovascular disease in obese youth

Obesity in childhood and adolescence continues to be a major health issue due to significant health implications and to the economic burden that arise from treating this disease and its complications. Current data show that childhood obesity is no longer just a concern for developed countries, but more significantly affecting developing countries. In adult population, cardiovascular disease is the main cause of mortality and morbidity among obese patients. It is therefore believed that risk factors found in adult patients could also be observed in obese youth. These risk factors will then persist and become progressively worse if obese youth remain obese as they reach adulthood. However, risk reduction is achievable through various prevention and management strategies of obesity and obese children who become nonobese in adulthood have a significant reduction in their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. New biomarkers to improve risk assessment in obese youth are an open research field, which will eventually lead to a more targeted approach in prevention and treatment. Nevertheless, there is still a need for continuous research in understanding the roles of these biomarkers and their potential in risk prediction. Cardiovascular risk modification of childhood obesity depends on a more concerted effort among the various parties involved and particularly a global collaboration to stop the rising prevalence of the epidemic in developing countries.     

Promoción de la salud cardiovascular en tres etapas de la vida: nunca es demasiado pronto,nunca demasiado tarde

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, with an especially devastating impact in low-to-medium income countries. Cardiovascular disease has been elevated to this position by a combination of factors that include urbanization and its attendant effects, such as obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, changes in dietary habits, and smoking. Given the enormous extent of the problem and the complexity of its causes, which include cultural, social, political, and health care factors, an equally sophisticated and comprehensive strategy is required to combat cardiovascular disease on a global scale. Because exposure to cardiovascular risk factors occurs from early ages, this strategy must be expanded and adjusted throughout the life of an individual. Thus, our efforts should be concentrated not only on cardiovascular disease treatment and prevention, but also on health promotion and primordial prevention. In this review, we present different strategies yielding encouraging results at the population level, from childhood until old age, that aim to protect against the challenges facing the scientific community when combating cardiovascular disease.     

Cardiovascular risk factors and their modification in children

Normal levels and trends of cardiovascular disease risk factors in childhood have been well documented by numerous epidemiologic surveys. Expected levels of blood pressure, lipids and lipoproteins, and body size can be determined by the child's physician using race- and gender-specific grids. These grids allow for the identification and follow-up of children with high-risk profiles. Evidence of increased left ventricular mass and vascular changes in renal arteries in association with childhood blood pressure level along with atherosclerotic fatty streak and fibrous plaque development in the aorta and coronary arteries shows that children with elevated risk factors are at risk for early target organ damage. These data demonstrate the potential importance of early intervention on the natural history of cardiovascular disease. Based on our own data from the Bogalusa population, as well as evidence from other epidemiologic investigations in children, the following recommendations can be made, regardless of the risk factor variable under consideration: Cardiovascular disease risk factor variables should be measured carefully and in a serial manner to classify a child as abnormal. Serial measurements serve to reduce the effect of regression to the mean and increase the predictive value of the measurements. The misclassification of normal children into the high-risk category can be avoided by serial and replicate observations. Interventions that have attendant side effects (for example, pharmacologic therapy for high blood pressure) have to be measured against the effectiveness of diet, exercise, and other aspects of primary prevention. Risk factor levels consistently greater than the ninetieth percentile deserve medical attention. Care should be taken prior to using specific grids of normal levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors in children. The measurement techniques employed on individuals should be similar to those used by the epidemiologic study to generate the grids in a reference population. The grids should become part of the child's permanent medical record, as they provide a rapid visual assessment of the cardiovascular disease risk profile over time. High-risk trackers may require more intensive follow-up and will allow for early intervention and an assessment of the efficacy of the intervention program. In conclusion, cardiovascular disease risk factor screening in childhood is quick, effective, and inexpensive. The potential payoff in prevention of adult cardiovascular disease is enormous and allows the physician to provide more comprehensive care to a pediatric population.     

儿童青少年代谢综合征诊治进展

代谢综合征(MS),包括胰岛素抵抗、肥胖、高血压、高脂血症等,是成人动脉粥样硬化性心脏病及2型糖尿病的一系列潜在危险因素。新近研究发现儿童及青少年时期已出现一系列MS的表现,且相关危险因素的存在与其成年后MS的发生密切相关,在儿童及青少年期即开始重视防治MS是控制MS及相关心血管并发症的重要手段,必须引起高度重视。     

The Dementia of Cardiac Disease

Cardiovascular disease and dementia are common in the elderly and are major causes of disability in the general population. The public health burden of dementia is projected to increase as life expectancy increases in the United States and elsewhere. Epidemiological studies suggest that these once believed unrelated conditions, heart disease and dementia, may be linked by shared common risks and pathogenic elements. These observations have sparked the notion that prevention or modification of certain vascular risk factors and proper management of cardiovascular disease may prevent the development or progression of dementia including Alzheimer??s disease. In this article, the authors discuss the association between cognitive impairment and atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and cardiovascular procedures.     

Prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Coronary artery disease,congestive heart failure,and stroke

Cardiovascular disease leads to significant morbidity and mortality in the older population. Results of risk reduction can be dramatic in terms of patient survival and quality of life. This article reviews evidence for cardiovascular risk factors and disease prevention in older adults. Interventions which reduce morbidity and mortality from coronary artery disease, heart failure, and cerebrovascular disease in the elderly population are examined. Attention is given to the role of cardiovascular disease in older women and in minorities, subsets not well-represented in many studies.     

Macrovascular angiopathy in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Diabetes represents one of the most common diseases globally. Worryingly, the worldwide incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is rising by 3% per year. Despite the rapid increase in diabetes incidence, recent advances in diabetes treatment have been successful in decreasing morbidity and mortality from diabetes-related retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. In contrast, there is clear evidence for the lack of improvement in mortality for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This emphasizes the importance of focusing childhood diabetes care strategies for the prevention of CVD in adulthood. Furthermore, although most work on diabetes and macrovascular disease relates to type 2 diabetes, it has been shown that the age-adjusted relative risk of CVD in T1D far exceeds that in type 2 diabetes. As T1D appears predominantly during childhood, those with T1D are at greater risk for coronary events early in life and require lifelong medical attention. Because of the important health effects of CVDs in children and adolescents with T1D, patients, family members, and care providers should understand the interaction of T1D and cardiovascular risk. In addition, optimal cardiac care for the patient with diabetes should focus on aggressive management of traditional cardiovascular risk factors to optimize those well-recognized as well as new specific risk factors which are becoming available. Therefore, a complete characterization of the molecular mechanisms involved in the development and progression of macrovascular angiopathy is needed. Furthermore, as vascular abnormalities begin as early as in childhood, potentially modifiable risk factors should be identified at an early stage of vascular disease development.     

Physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk factors in children and adolescents: an overview

Currently, there is considerable interest in the physical activity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors of youth in North America and other developed countries. The central question to this paper is, what is the role of physical activity in the primary prevention of CVD? Three subquestions are explored: what are the current levels and prevalence of physical activity and CVD risk factors in North American youth?; what is the association between physical activity and CVD risk factors in children and adolescents?; and what is the influence of childhood physical activity on subsequent adult cardiovascular health? The number of youth meeting physical activity recommendations varies by measurement procedures, age and sex. In general, physical activity levels decline during adolescence. Aerobic fitness remains stable in boys and gradually declines during adolescence in girls. The prevalence of overweight and the emergence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents have increased over the past few decades. Although the association is weak and causal inference cannot be drawn, physical activity explains a small amount of the variance in CVD risk factors during childhood and adolescence, particularly at the extremes. Childhood overweight increases the risk of adult overweight, the clustering of other CVD risk factors, coronary artery calcification in adulthood, and all-cause and CVD mortality. Future studies should consider the measurement of physical activity, physical activity-genotype interactions, biobehavioral approaches to the prevention and treatment of obesity and comorbidities, and emerging risk factors. Prospective cohort studies are also warranted to further examine the influence of childhood physical activity on subsequent health outcomes.     

Epidemiologic trends in overweight and obesity.

Obesity in adults is associated with excess mortality and excess risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, gallbladder disease, certain cancers, and osteoarthritis. Overweight children often become overweight adults, and overweight in adulthood is a health risk. Although childhood overweight may not always result in excess adult health risk, immediate consequences of overweight in childhood are psychosocial and also include cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and abnormal glucose tolerance. The causes of obesity are poorly understood, and both the prevention and the treatment of obesity are difficult. In this context, the ability to track epidemiologic trends in overweight and obesity is important.     

Cardiovascular disease risk factors and attitudes towards prevention among Korean-American elders

The leading cause of death among the aging population is cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease prevention and modification of disease risk factors are important and worthwhile directions for study because this population is rapidly increasing. Past studies have shown the significance of modifying cardiovascular disease risk factors in Anglo populations where major risk factors of hypertension, elevated cholesterol levels, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity and smoking have been identified. However, the prevalence of these risk factors and the attitudes towards modifying them have not been studied in the Korean-American elderly population. This preliminary study used questionnaires given to fifty older recently immigrated Korean-American participants of a Korean senior center. Results show that this population has a lower frequency of cardiovascular disease and all risk factors, except for diabetes compared to an Anglo elderly population In addition, older Korean-American elders were generally unaware of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and uninterested in changing their habits to avoid cardiovascular disease. Increased availability of educational campaigns and health care in Korean are recommended.     

The emerging global epidemic of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease – causes and consequences

Two decades ago, paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) drew only modest interest from the international paediatric community. Since then, dramatically globally increasing incidence rates have made childhood‐onset IBD a priority for most paediatric gastroenterologists. The emerging pandemia of paediatric IBD has fuelled a quest to identify the recent changes in early life exposures that could explain the increasing risk for IBD amongst today's children. Treatment of children with IBD should aim for symptom control but should also target restoration of growth and prevention of pubertal delay. The paediatric IBD phenotype seems to be characterized by more extensive disease location, and some comparative studies have suggested that childhood‐onset IBD also represents a more severe phenotype than the adult‐onset IBD form. In this review, we analyse recent global incidence trends of paediatric IBD. We present an update on the known and suggested risk factors that could explain the emerging global epidemia of paediatric IBD. We also draw attention to differences in treatment between children and adults with IBD. Finally, we highlight latest follow‐up studies that question the proposed dynamic and aggressive nature of childhood‐onset IBD.     

Obesity, Body Fat Distribution, and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents

Obesity is a common disease with an ever-increasing prevalence and usually with late-onset consequences. If acquired during childhood, it tracks into adult life to some extent, and since the relationship between obesity and hypertension is well established in adults, obese children appear to be at particularly high risk of becoming hypertensive adults. In the authors'study, obese children seemed to have significantly higher casual and ambulatory blood pressure than nonobese children, except for nighttime diastolic blood pressure. The health effects of obesity may depend on the anatomic distribution of body fat, which in turn may be a better indicator of endocrinologic imbalance, environmental stress, or genetic factors than is fatness per se. Subjects with a higher waist-to-hip ratio or a larger waist, as an estimate of central obesity, tend to have higher blood pressure values even during childhood. Prevention of the onset of obesity in early life may be important to reducing the risk of coronary heart disease in later life.     

Some lessons in cardiovascular epidemiology from Framingham.

Epidemiologic investigations have provided a portrait of the potential candidate for coronary heart disease. This is important because studies of the evolution of coronary disease in the general population reveal that it is a common disease that frequently attacks without warning, can be silent in its most dangerous form and can present with sudden death as the first symptom. Progress in identifyin- persons in jeopardy and the factors needing correction makes it theoretically possible to interrupt the chain of factors that eventuate in this disease. Coronary disease does not really begin with crushing chest pain, pulmonary edema, shock, angina or ventricular fibrillation, but rather with more subtle signs like a poor coronary risk profile. The risk factors can be treated quantitatively as ingredients of a cardiovascular risk profile and their joint effect estimated. An efficient practicable set of variables for this purpose is a casual blood test for cholesterol and sugar, a blood pressure determination, an electrocardiogram and a cigarette smoking history. With this set of variables the risk of coronary heart diseases can be estimated over a 30-fold range and 10 percent of the asymptomatic population identified in whom 25 percent of the coronary disease, 40 percent of the occlusive peripheral arterial disease and 50 percent of the strokes and congestive heart failure will evolve. The periodic use of the electrocardiogram at rest and after exercise in persons with a poor risk profile can demonstrate persons with asymptomatic ischemic cardiomyopathy due to advanced coronary artery disease. Most cases of angina pectoris or myocardial infarction represent medical failures; the conditions should have been detected years earlier for preventive management. About 30 percent of patients with infraction will shortly experience new angina, have an annual death rate of 4 percent and a fourfold increased risk of sudden death. Reinfarction will occur at an annual rate of 6 percent, and half the recurrences will be fatal. Congestive heart failure must be expected at 10 times and strokes at 5 times the rate found in the general population. Although no major innovations are required to identify candidates for coronary disease and to estimate their risk, we have much to learn about motivating changes in behavior to control risk factors. Approaches to prevention of coronary heart disease include public health measures to alter the ecology in favor of cardiovascular health, preventive medicine directed at highly vulnerable candidates and hygienic measures initiated by an informed public in its own behalf.     

The cardiologist's responsibility for preventing coronary heart disease.

The recent increase in coronary heart disease is real and the causes must mainly be environmental. Consequently the condition should largely be preventable. The application of what is already known is likely to be a far more effective way of reducing the mortality rate than all attempts at palliative treatment, but vigorous action will be necessary. Much greater sums are being expended on coronary-care units and cardiac surgery than in preventing the need for them, although there is little evidence that they have significantly lowered the over-all mortality rate. Conventional treatment is immensely expensive. Prevention could in the long run be much cheaper. Cardiologists on their own are unlikely to succeed in a program of prevention. They need the help of many others, including community nurses, nutritionists, public health workers, sociologists, and of course general practitioners, but they have responsibility for leadership and for providing background knowledge. For the detection of certain risk factors, health examinations are necessary and should be part of general practice. Also, advice is best given on an individual basis. The chief-known risk factors (hyperlipidemia, hypertension, smoking, physical inactivity) could be controlled. CHD occurs in adults but atherosclerosis starts many years before. Prevention should begin with appropriate infant feeding, whenever possible with breast milk, and continue into childhood, when habits are formed and attitudes to life can best be influenced. It should be possible to bring up children virtually free from risk factors. It may never be possible to prove the effectiveness of such a multifactorial program by prospective controlled intervention studies, but the evidence indicates strong probability. The stakes are too high to delay action any longer. Physicians daily give advice in areas where the evidence is much less certain. Such a program for the control of coronary artery disease is urgently needed and could become one of the most rewarding activities for the medical profession.     

Early life risk factors that contribute to irritable bowel syndrome in adults: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that occurs in adults. The natural history of symptoms and risk factors that contribute to IBS may begin in childhood. The aim of this systematic review was to determine what early life factors contribute to the development of IBS in adolescents and adults. METHODS: A computer-assisted search of the PubMed database from 1966 to 2007 was performed. The selection criteria were: (a) studies conducted in adolescents or adults with IBS that (b) investigate premorbid factors occurring specifically during the childhood period and are (c) associated with the outcomes of symptoms, quality of life, health-care utilization, and interferences with work or disability. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles met inclusion criteria. The studies were categorized into articles examining the persistence of childhood gastrointestinal symptoms into adulthood, affluent childhood socioeconomic status and adult IBS, infantile and childhood trauma associated with the development of adult IBS, and social learning of illness behavior as predictors of adult IBS. CONCLUSION: Pediatricians should be aware of potentially modifiable childhood risk factors and should consider interventions such as early symptom management of recurrent functional abdominal pain with cognitive therapies and parent education about social learning of illness behavior. Early treatment may have a long-term impact. Research examining the effect of affluent childhood socioeconomic status and early childhood trauma in the evolution of functional gastrointestinal disorders may help identify causative factors of IBS.     

Atherosclerosis in childhood and adolescent type 1 diabetes: early disease, early treatment?

Autopsy studies have shown that atherosclerosis begins in adolescence in otherwise healthy individuals, and imaging techniques have shown that atherosclerosis develops earlier and is more prevalent in children with diabetes than in age-matched healthy controls. Cardiovascular disease has now overtaken diabetic nephropathy as the leading cause of premature mortality in young adults with diabetes, and the emphasis on disease prevention has accordingly shifted to a younger age group. The majority of children and adolescents with diabetes have suboptimal blood glucose control, and this contributes to accelerated arterial disease in this age group. Other conventional risk factors for coronary heart disease also need to be considered and treated aggressively. Effective early prevention of cardiovascular disease will involve lifestyle modification and full implementation of existing treatment guidelines, and large-scale prospective studies will be needed to establish the risks and benefits of early pharmacological intervention in children and adolescents.     

Toward healthy aging: the preservation of health

Chronic disease has emerged in recent decades as the major cluster of health concerns of the American population. Increasing evidence indicates that, in most instances, these diseases have been present for long periods of time before becoming clinically manifest. In some instances, it is clear that they may begin in childhood and reach clinical expression only decades later. Furthermore, relevant risk factors for a number of these diseases have been identified and the beneficial effects of risk reduction defined. These disease characteristics translate into lengthy opportunities to identify, mitigate, or prevent serious chronic disorders. A useful framework invokes the health quantum, the "dose" of good health with which the individual is born and that is subjected to erosive forces at each stage of life from conception to old age. A coherent orientation toward the preservation of health across the lifespan is proposed, involving coordinated efforts by the individual, the clinical and public health communities, and the policy enterprise.