P.32 Non-Invasive Measures of Arteriosclerosis Across Childhood and Adolescence: Insights Into the Natural History of Disease
- DOI
- 10.2991/artres.k.201209.045How to use a DOI?
- Keywords
- Atherosclerosis; non-invasive; intima-media thickness
- Abstract
Objectives: Non-invasive methodologies for assessing arteriosclerosis, including carotid intimal-medial thickness (cIMT) for assessing subclinical atherosclerosis and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) for measuring arterial stiffness, are well established and validated in adults [1, 2]. However, they are less well-described in children. Alternative methodologies, such as aortic IMT (aIMT), may be more appropriate in children provided the natural history of atherosclerotic disease [3]. Previous studies have predominantly applied these methodologies in a narrow age-range of children; methodological differences between studies make inter-study comparison of absolute values difficult. Therefore, we aimed to assess the severity of arteriosclerosis across childhood and adolescence using standardised application of age-appropriate and established methodologies.
Methods: We prospectively recruited 97 healthy children aged 2 to 20 (mean age = 11.2 ± 5.12 years old; stratified into five sex-balanced age groups). cIMT and aIMT were assessed via high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. cfPWV was assessed via a semi-automated cuff-based device (Sphygmocor XCEL; AtCor Medical, Australia).
Results: aIMT increased with age (9 μm per year [95% CI: 6, 12], p < 0.0001), whereas cIMT did not meaningfully increase with age (2 μm per year [95% CI: −1, 5], p = 0.14). cfPWV remained relatively stable during early childhood, with an apparent increase from adolescence onwards.
Conclusions: Carotid and aortic atherosclerosis both increase throughout childhood, although this increase is greatest in the aorta. The aorta begins to stiffen during adolescence. Assessment of aortic arteriosclerosis is feasible in childhood and adolescence, and should be prioritised over assessment of carotid atherosclerosis in this age group.
- Copyright
- © 2020 Association for Research into Arterial Structure and Physiology. Publishing services by Atlantis Press International B.V.
- Open Access
- This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
REFERENCES
Cite this article
TY - JOUR AU - Reeja Nasir AU - Tommy Ye Cai AU - Alice Meroni AU - Michael Skilton PY - 2020 DA - 2020/12/31 TI - P.32 Non-Invasive Measures of Arteriosclerosis Across Childhood and Adolescence: Insights Into the Natural History of Disease JO - Artery Research SP - S55 EP - S55 VL - 26 IS - Supplement 1 SN - 1876-4401 UR - https://doi.org/10.2991/artres.k.201209.045 DO - 10.2991/artres.k.201209.045 ID - Nasir2020 ER -