Increased carotid intima-media thickness in children-adolescents, and young adults with a parental history of premature myocardial infarction

Aims The present study was designed to test whether early carotid structural changes are demonstrable (by high resolution B-mode ultrasound) in children, adolescents and young adults with a history of premature parental myocardial infarction. Methods and Results One hundred and fourteen healthy young (5 to 30 years) subjects with a parental history of premature myocardial infarction and 114 age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two age groups: children and adolescents (age 5 to 18 years) (54 individuals With a parental history of premature myocardial infarction and their control subjects:, mean age 12-8 +/- 3-8 years) and young adults (age 19 to 30 years) (60 individuals with a parental history and their controls; mean age 23-8 +/- 3-3 years). All subjects underwent high resolution 13-mode ultra sonographic evaluation of common carotid artery intima-media thickness. Lipid profile, resting blood pressure, body mass index and smoking status were also evaluated. In both age groups. compared to controls, subjects with a parental history of premature myocardial infarction had increased intima-media thickness of common carotid arteries (mean of combined sites: age 5-18 years: 0-45 +/- 0-076 mm vs 0-40 +/- 0-066 mm in controls. P=0.008 age 19-30 years: 0,48 +/- 0-077 mm vs 0-45 +/- 0-078 mm in controls, P=0-007) Offspring of coronary patients showed an unfavourable lipid profile, however. the association between a parental history of premature myocardial infarction and carotid intima-media thickness was independent of lipids, apolipoproteins and other traditional risk factors. Conclusions Vascular structural changes associated with a parental history of premature myocardial infarction are already detectable in childhood and adolescence and occur independently of several traditional cardiovascular risk factors.