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Does maternal or paternal heredity affect carotid atherosclerosis in children with familial hypercholesterolaemia?
S Tonstad1, O Joakimsen, T P Leren
1Lipid Clinic, Medical Department A, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway. serena.tonstad@ulleval.no
Insights
Maternal high cholesterol during pregnancy did not increase offspring
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Genetics
Background:
- Maternal hypercholesterolaemia is linked to increased fetal aortic fatty streaks.
- Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an inherited condition causing high cholesterol.
- Prenatal exposure to maternal lipids may influence early atherogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if maternal hypercholesterolaemia during pregnancy affects offspring's arterial health.
- To compare atherogenesis markers in children with FH based on maternal or paternal inheritance.
- To assess the impact of maternal versus paternal FH inheritance on early signs of atherosclerosis.
Main Methods:
- Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measured using B-mode ultrasonography.
- Comparison of CIMT in children with FH inherited maternally versus paternally.
- Assessment of plaque prevalence in the carotid arteries of pediatric FH patients.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in carotid intima-media thickness was observed.
- Prevalence of carotid plaque did not differ between maternal and paternal FH inheritance groups.
- Inheritance pattern of FH (maternal vs. paternal) did not impact early atherogenesis markers.
Conclusions:
- Maternal hypercholesterolaemia during pregnancy does not appear to increase early atherogenesis in offspring with FH.
- The route of FH inheritance (maternal or paternal) does not influence carotid intima-media thickness or plaque presence.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term cardiovascular implications of FH inheritance patterns.
Abstract:
Maternal hypercholesterolaemia has recently been shown to increase the number of fatty streaks in the foetal aorta, as well as subsequent progression of fatty streaks to more advanced lesions. We compared carotid intima-media thickness by B-mode ultrasonography in children who inherited familial hypercholesterolaemia from their mothers or fathers, hypothesizing that children whose mothers were hypercholesterolaemic during pregnancy had increased atherogenesis compared with children whose mothers did not have familial hypercholesterolaemia. We found that carotid intima-media thickness and prevalence of plaque did not differ between children with familial hypercholesterolaemia who inherited FH maternally or paternally.