Heart Disease Risks Emerge in Childhood
Heart Disease Risks Emerge in Childhood
1 in 10 Children Has at Least One Risk Factor for Heart Disease
Oct. 11, 2004 -- The keys to preventing heart disease -- the leading killer of adults -- may begin with addressing the risks in children. A new study shows that lifestyle factors that increase the risk of developing heart disease as an adult begin to emerge in childhood.
Researchers found that almost two-thirds of children in the U.S. had at least one risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, or excess weight around the midsection, and nearly one in 10 had a cluster of risk factors known as metabolic syndrome.
"The impact of these data may be far reaching," says researcher Sarah de Ferranti, MD, MPH, of Children's Hospital of Boston, in a news release. She says doctors should look for these abnormalities in children and intervene with strategies to reduce their future risk of heart disease as adults, such as encouraging a healthy diet and exercise.
The study appears in the Oct. 12 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
In the study, researchers looked at how common the metabolic syndrome is in children aged 12 to 19 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1988 and 1994.
Metabolic syndrome is a term for a clustering of risk factors that increases a person risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. The syndrome includes an abnormally elevated fastingblood sugar, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and obesity (measured by waist circumference). The high fasting blood sugar is not in the range considered to be diagnostic of having diabetes, instead it is considered to be an impaired fasting glucose.
Someone with at least three of these risk factors is considered to have metabolic syndrome.
The metabolic syndrome is closely related to diabetes and heart disease in adults, but researchers say the disorder has not been well studied in children.
The study showed that 63% of the nearly 2,000 children surveyed had at least one risk factor and 9% met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. The most common risk factor was a low HDL "good" cholesterol level, which was found in 40% of boys and girls.
The "results are not surprising in view of the high and rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in U.S. children," says de Ferranti.
Because childhood metabolic syndrome tracks into adulthood, early identification may help target intervention to improve future cardiovascular health, they conclude.
Heart Disease Risks Emerge in Childhood
1 in 10 Children Has at Least One Risk Factor for Heart Disease
Oct. 11, 2004 -- The keys to preventing heart disease -- the leading killer of adults -- may begin with addressing the risks in children. A new study shows that lifestyle factors that increase the risk of developing heart disease as an adult begin to emerge in childhood.
Researchers found that almost two-thirds of children in the U.S. had at least one risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, or excess weight around the midsection, and nearly one in 10 had a cluster of risk factors known as metabolic syndrome.
"The impact of these data may be far reaching," says researcher Sarah de Ferranti, MD, MPH, of Children's Hospital of Boston, in a news release. She says doctors should look for these abnormalities in children and intervene with strategies to reduce their future risk of heart disease as adults, such as encouraging a healthy diet and exercise.
The study appears in the Oct. 12 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Heart Disease Takes Root in Childhood
In the study, researchers looked at how common the metabolic syndrome is in children aged 12 to 19 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1988 and 1994.
Metabolic syndrome is a term for a clustering of risk factors that increases a person risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. The syndrome includes an abnormally elevated fastingblood sugar, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and obesity (measured by waist circumference). The high fasting blood sugar is not in the range considered to be diagnostic of having diabetes, instead it is considered to be an impaired fasting glucose.
Someone with at least three of these risk factors is considered to have metabolic syndrome.
The metabolic syndrome is closely related to diabetes and heart disease in adults, but researchers say the disorder has not been well studied in children.
The study showed that 63% of the nearly 2,000 children surveyed had at least one risk factor and 9% met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. The most common risk factor was a low HDL "good" cholesterol level, which was found in 40% of boys and girls.
The "results are not surprising in view of the high and rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in U.S. children," says de Ferranti.
Because childhood metabolic syndrome tracks into adulthood, early identification may help target intervention to improve future cardiovascular health, they conclude.
