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Arterial structure and function in children with inflammatory bowel disease
Asha Jois1, Diana Zannino2, Anthony G Catto-Smith1,3,4
1Department of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia.
Insights
Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) did not show adverse arterial changes in children. Early IBD diagnosis offers a chance to manage cardiovascular risk factors and improve long-term outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric gastroenterology
- Cardiovascular health
- Inflammation research
Background:
- Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face higher cardiovascular disease risks, potentially due to chronic inflammation.
- Atherosclerosis can begin in childhood, making early detection of cardiovascular risk crucial in pediatric IBD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if pediatric IBD is linked to early adverse changes in arterial structure and function.
- To assess arterial health markers in children with IBD compared to healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 81 children with IBD and 82 healthy controls.
- Measurements included blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, carotid artery distensibility, and intima-media thickness.
- Biomarkers like C-reactive protein and lipid profiles were also analyzed.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in arterial structure or function were found between children with IBD and controls.
- Specific analysis of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis subgroups also showed no differences.
- Adjustments for age, sex, BMI, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol did not alter these findings.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric IBD, particularly with disease duration under 5 years, was not associated with measurable adverse arterial changes.
- Childhood IBD diagnosis presents a critical opportunity for proactive management of cardiovascular risk factors.
- Intervention during this period may improve future cardiovascular health outcomes for children with IBD.
Background And Aim:
People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including in younger adulthood. This may arise in part from chronic, systemic low-grade inflammation. The process of atherosclerosis may begin in childhood. We sought to determine whether pediatric IBD is associated with adverse changes in arterial structure and function as a marker of early increased cardiovascular risk.
Methods:
We performed a case-control study comparing children with IBD for a median disease duration of 2.49 (interquartile range 1.23, 4.38) years with healthy children. In a single visit, we collected baseline clinical and anthropometric data, and measured blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, carotid artery distensibility, and aortic and carotid intima-media thickness. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fasting lipids were measured.
Results:
We enrolled 81 children with IBD (40 with Crohn's disease, 40 with ulcerative colitis, and 1 with unspecified IBD) and 82 control participants. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index z-score, blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, there was no difference in measures of arterial structure and function in children with IBD compared with controls, nor between those with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
Conclusion:
We did not show any differences in arterial structure and function in children with a history of IBD for less than 5 years compared with healthy controls. IBD diagnosed in childhood may provide a window of opportunity to actively reduce standard cardiovascular risk factors and improve future cardiovascular outcomes.
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