Arterial Structural and Functional Characteristics at End of Early Childhood and Beginning of Adulthood: Impact of Body Size Gain during Early, Intermediate, Late and Global Growth

Abstract

An association between nutritional characteristics in theearlylife stages and the state of the cardiovascular (CV) system in early childhood itself and/or at the beginning of adulthood has been postulated. It is still controversial whether changes in weight, height and/or body mass index (BMI) during childhood or adolescence are independently associated with hemodynamics and/or arterial properties in early childhood and adulthood. Aims: First, to evaluate and compare the strength of association between CVproperties (at 6 and 18 years (y)) and (a) anthropometric data at specific growth stages (e.g., birth, 6 y, 18 y) and (b) anthropometric changes during early (0–2 y), intermediate (0–6 y), late (6–18 y) and global (0–18 y) growth. Second, to determine whether the associations between CVproperties and growth-related body changes depend on size at birth and/or at the time of CVstudy. Third, to analyze the capacity of growth-related body size changes to explain hemodynamic and arterial properties in early childhood and adulthood before and after adjusting for exposure to CV risk factors. Anthropometric, hemodynamic (central, peripheral) and arterial parameters (structural, functional; elastic, transitional and muscular arteries) were assessed in two cohorts (children, n = 682; adolescents, n = 340). Data wereobtained and analyzed following identical protocols. Results: Body-size changes in infancy (0–2 y) and childhood (0–6 y) showed similar strength of association with CV properties at 6 y. Conversely, 0–6, 6-18 or 0–18 ychanges were not associated with CV parameters at 18 y. The association between CV properties at 6 yand body-size changes during growth showed: equal or greater strength than the observed for body-size at birth, and lower strength compared to that obtained for current z-BMI. Conversely, only z-BMI at 18 y showed associations with CV z-scores at 18 y. Body size at birth showed almost no association with CVproperties at 6 or 18 y. Conclusion: current z-BMI showed the greatest capacity to explain variations in CV properties at 6 and 18 y. Variations in some CV parameters were mainly explained by growth-related anthropometric changes and/or by their interaction with current z-BMI. Body size at birth showed almost no association with arterial properties at 6 or 18 y.

Aortic pressure and forward and backward wave components in children, adolescents and young-adults: Agreement between brachial oscillometry, radial and carotid tonometry data and analysis of factors associated with their differences

“…; 854 females). The subjects´ records are part of CUiiDARTE Database, which includes data from longitudinal (cohort)and cross-sectional studies developed in Uruguay from February 2012until July 2019[10,14–16]. The subjects or their families were selected (random sampling), mainly from their reference health institutions, educational and/or work centres, and were invited to participate through personal interviews.…”

“…Included subjects were part of cohorts representative of their corresponding populations (e.g. children cohort, adolescents cohort) [16], but the whole group included in this work could not be considered (in rigorous terms) as representative of the entire Uruguayan population. Interviews, anthropometrical measurements and cardiovascular evaluations were performed in the ambulatory and/or office non-invasive vascular laboratories of CUiiDARTE.…”

Carotid and Femoral Atherosclerotic Plaques in Asymptomatic and Non-Treated Subjects: Cardiovascular Risk Factors, 10-Years Risk Scores, and Lipid Ratios’ Capability to Detect Plaque Presence, Burden, Fibro-Lipid Composition and Geometry

“…The study was carried out in the context of the Centro Universitario de Investigación, Innovación y Diagnóstico Arterial (CUiiDARTE) Project [16][17][18][19]. We considered data from a total of 581 subjects (47% females) provided by CUiiDARTE Database.…”

Is There a Link Between Nutrition, Genetics, and Cardiovascular Disease?

“…The authors of this study found a narrow link between MT-CYB mutations and acute rheumatic fever and its complications, i.e., rheumatic heart diseases [ 7 ]. In the second original study, conducted in Uruguay on two separate cohorts (children, n = 682; adolescents, n = 340), the authors tested potential associations between anthropometric parameters (i.e., weight, height and body mass index (BMI)) in early life stages and the state of the cardiovascular system in early childhood at the beginning of adulthood [ 8 ]. The authors found that the current z-BMI showed the greatest capacity to explain variations in cardiovascular properties at 6 and 18 years.…”

“…The authors found that the current z-BMI showed the greatest capacity to explain variations in cardiovascular properties at 6 and 18 years. However, body size at birth showed no association with arterial properties at 6 or 18 years of age [ 8 ].…”