Exercise stress testing and risk factor assessment among offspring of cardiac patients

As we learn more about the origins of coronary artery disease, research has begun to focus on its prevention. The purpose of this study was to determine if exercise stress testing of the offspring of our cardiac rehabilitation patients would be a useful adjunct to their general cardiac risk factor assessment. In addition, we sought to quantitate the number of cardiac risk factors they might have already accumulated. We determined the lifestyle and lipid profiles of 22 young, healthy subjects. Subjects underwent maximal multistage exercise stress tests. Eighty-six percent of subjects had two or more major risk factors for CAD, and 73% had contributory risk factors. Seventy-three percent of subjects also demonstrated hypercholesterolemia. Exercise testing did not induce ischemic changes on electrocardiography of any subject. Our research revealed that these offspring demonstrate an alarming number of coronary artery disease risk factors, even though exercise stress tests were negative.