Arterial stiffness in junior high school students: Longitudinal observations

Abstract

Background: Early atherosclerotic change is found even in childhood, and there is an urgent need to clarify the factors causing childhood atherosclerosis and take preventive measures. Early detection of the contributing risk factors is crucial to facilitate preventive measures. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a widely used technique for the assessment of atherosclerosis in children. Obese students had higher baPWV than non-obese students in both genders across each grade. On logistic regression analysis of ninth grade student data, high baPWV was dependent on systolic blood pressure (SBP), time watching television (TV) and symptoms of depression and anxiety, whereas low baPWV was dependent on time playing video games, light exercise, sleep and indoor play, as well as good friendship and motivation. Conclusion: Systolic blood pressure, time watching TV, and symptoms of depression and anxiety may contribute to arterial stiffness and be related to obesity in junior high school students.

Determinants of Vascular Age: An Epidemiological Perspective

“…A limited number of longitudinal studies have incorporated central PWV assessments in children, including three studies which measured cfPWV in adolescents (mean age 14.5 to 15.4 years),(28–30) and one which measured brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) in children (mean age 12.4 years; Table 2). (24) Collectively, the studies reported a cfPWV increase of 0.15–0.18 m/s per year and baPWV increase of 0.70 m/s per year in adolescents aged 12.5 to 17.5 years. These values are in line with the 0.02–0.18 m/s per year increase reported in cross-sectional studies, which have provided cfPWV reference values for children aged 6–22.…”

“…Longitudinal epidemiological studies with repeat measures of arterial stiffness provide an important contribution to understanding changes in arterial stiffness that occur with age. Those studies, conducted in Europe, Asia, and the Americas provide a wide age range and include children as young as 12.5 years of age (24) and the oldest old (the SardiNIA Study) (25). Most studies include both men and women, with the exception of the electron-beam tomography, risk factor assessment among Japanese and U.S. men in the post-World War II birth cohort (the ERA JUMP Study),(26) which enrolled Japanese men, and the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (the SWAN) Heart Study,(27) which enrolled African American and Caucasian women.…”

Using Mendelian randomization analysis to determine the causal connection between unpleasant emotions and coronary atherosclerosis

“…And the risk of developing CAD is 2.01 to 2.09 times higher than normal after one year of persistent major depressive disorder (MDD) and/or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) ( 30 ). However, there is contradictory evidence about the effect of unpleasant emotions on atherosclerosis ( 31 – 34 ). In a long-term observational study where children's atherosclerosis was measured using pulse wave velocity (PWV), logistic regression showed that high brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) was independently associated with depressive and anxious symptoms, such as feeling sick in the bath, headaches, general fatigue, anxiety, and emotional ups and downs, while low baPWV was associated with motivation and good friendships ( 31 ).…”

Association of Blood Pressure–Related Increase in Vascular Stiffness on Other Measures of Target Organ Damage in Youth

“…42,44 Similar findings have been noted in pediatric populations. 9,[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53] In a study of 1171 children in Switzerland (average age of 7 years), participants with elevated BP (BP, 90-95th percentile) or hypertension had higher PWV compared with their normotensive peers (PWV, 4.44 versus 4.56 versus 4.29). 45 In 501 Spanish youth, a graded increase in PWV was present across the BP strata.…”