Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Apr;25(4):119-126.
doi: 10.1007/s11883-023-01089-z. Epub 2023 Feb 27.

Is There a Role for Imaging Youth at Risk of Atherosclerosis?

Andrew H Tran  1   2 , Elaine M Urbina  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Is There a Role for Imaging Youth at Risk of Atherosclerosis?

Andrew H Tran et al. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are associated with an increased risk for CV events in adults. Noninvasive measures of vascular health are associated with these CV events and can potentially help risk stratify children with CV risk factors. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent literature regarding vascular health in children with cardiovascular risk factors.

Recent findings: Adverse changes in pulse wave velocity, pulse wave analysis, arterial distensibility, and carotid intima-media thickness are seen in children with CV risk factors supporting potential utility in risk stratification. Assessing vascular health in children can be challenging due to growth-related changes in vasculature, multiple assessment modalities, and differences in normative data. Vascular health assessment in children with cardiovascular risk factors can be a valuable tool for risk stratification and help identify opportunities for early intervention. Future areas of research include increasing normative data, improving conversion of data between different modalities, and increasing longitudinal studies in children linking childhood risk factors to adult CV outcomes.

Keywords: Carotid intima-media thickness; Diabetes; Dyslipidemia; Hypertension; Obesity; Pediatrics; Pulse wave analysis; Pulse wave velocity.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. Ninomiya JK, et al. Association of the metabolic syndrome with history of myocardial infarction and stroke in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Circulation. 2004;109(1):42–6. - DOI
    1. Psaty BM, et al. Association between blood pressure level and the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and total mortality: the cardiovascular health study. Arch Intern Med. 2001;161(9):1183–92. - DOI
    1. Vasan RS, et al. Impact of high-normal blood pressure on the risk of cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med. 2001;345(18):1291–7. - DOI
    1. Levy D, et al. The progression from hypertension to congestive heart failure. JAMA. 1996;275(20):1557–62. - DOI
    1. Grundy SM, et al. AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the management of blood cholesterol. Circulation. 2018;2018:CIR0000000000000625.

LinkOut - more resources