Age-related changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors of hypercholesterolemic children

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A M Tershakovec1, A F Jawad, V A Stallings

  • 1Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4399, USA.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|April 17, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Children with hypercholesterolemia (HC) show increased body fat and altered insulin and blood pressure levels, with these changes becoming more pronounced with age. These cardiovascular disease risk factors emerge before significant increases in body fat are observed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Cardiovascular Risk Factors
  • Childhood Obesity

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease risk factors can manifest in childhood.
  • Hypercholesterolemia (HC) in children is a concern for future cardiovascular health.
  • Understanding the interplay of body fat, insulin, and blood pressure in young HC children is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors among young children with hypercholesterolemia (HC).
  • To compare body composition and metabolic markers between hypercholesterolemic (HC) and nonhypercholesterolemic (NHC) children.
  • To explore associations between adiposity, insulin levels, and blood pressure in this pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study comparing HC (n=227) and NHC (n=80) children aged 4-10 years.
  • Measurements included height, weight, skin-fold thickness, blood pressure, and total cholesterol.
  • Insulin levels were assessed in the HC group; statistical analyses included ANOVA and Spearman correlations.

Main Results:

  • HC children exhibited significantly larger skin-fold measurements compared to NHC children, indicating greater body fat.
  • The association between increased body fat and hypercholesterolemia was more evident in older children (8.0-9.9 years) than younger ones (4.0-5.9 years).
  • Systolic blood pressure and insulin levels in the HC group were significantly associated with measures of adiposity.

Conclusions:

  • Children with HC possess higher body fat percentages.
  • Hypercholesterolemia appears to precede the significant increase in body fat.
  • Increased adiposity with age is linked to altered insulin and blood pressure in children with HC, warranting further longitudinal investigation.
Abstract

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