Related Experiment Videos
Early intimal lesions in the common carotid artery
Insights
Early atheroma signs appear in children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pathology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Atherosclerosis Research
Background:
- Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease.
- Early detection and understanding of its origins are crucial.
- The common carotid artery's role in early atheroma development is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and timing of early atheroma features in pediatric common carotid arteries.
- To compare lesion incidence across different pediatric groups.
Main Methods:
- Histological examination of common carotid arteries from 259 children (stillborn to 16 years).
- Assessment for intimal thickening, lamellar irregularities, ruptures, foam cells, and fat.
- Comparison of lesion prevalence in infant cot deaths, chronic diseases, and congenital heart disease groups versus others.
Main Results:
- Lesions were present at birth in ~50% of children, increasing rapidly within the first two months.
- Early atheroma prodromal features observed in all children by 8 months.
- Carotid artery lesions appeared earlier than in aorta or coronary arteries.
- Lower incidence of intimal thickening and fat in children under 2 with chronic disease or heart deformities.
Conclusions:
- The common carotid artery exhibits early signs of atheroma development from birth.
- Atherosclerotic changes manifest earlier in the carotid arteries compared to other major vessels.
- Specific pediatric conditions may influence the early development of these arterial lesions.
Abstract:
Histological sections of the common carotid arteries from 259 children who were stillborn or died under 16 years of age were examined for intimal thickening, lamellar irregularities and ruptures, foam cells, and fat. Lesions were present at birth in approximately half the children examined, and the incidence increased rapidly in the first two months after birth. All the children had the early features of the prodroma of atheroma by 8 months of age. Compared with the findings of previous studies of the coronary arteries and aorta the histological findings appeared in the carotid arteries at an earlier age. The prevalence of intimal lesions in infant cot deaths, chronic diseases, and congenital heart disease was compared with that in all other children in the study. There was no difference in the cot death group, but in children under 2 years in both the chronic disease and heart deformity group there was a lower incidence of intimal thickening and visible fat.