title: Relationships between the children and the parents for coronary risk factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed to investigate the relation of coronary risk factors in children to coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary risk factors in their parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 252 parents of 164 children with two or more coronary risk factors were included in this study. The control group consisted of 175 parents of 114 children with no risk factors. Both groups were evaluated for coronary risk factors and CHD. The children in the groups were separated into sex and age groups consisting of 7 to 11-years-olds, 12 to 15-years-old and 16 to 18-years-old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Many lipid parameters related with coronary risk factors in the mothers of 7 to 11-year-old girls, in the fathers of 7 to 11-year-old girls and 16 to 18-year-old boys were at higher levels than in the control group. Anthropometric parameters, especially those of reflecting body fatness such as skinfold thickness measurements and total bodyfat percentage values were at higher levels in the fathers of 12-15- and 16 to 18-year-old girls. The higher levels of most of the anthropometric and biochemical parameters in the fathers of 16 to 18-year-old boys were striking. Hyperlipidemia prevalences in the fathers of 7 to 11-year-old girls and boys were higher than the control parents. In the study group, the girls positively correlated with both their parents for total cholesterol levels and positively correlated with only their mothers for height, bodyfat percentage, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein- cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. However, the boys positively correlated with their mothers for weight and with their fathers for bodyfat percentage, diastolic blood pressure (BP) values and serum LDL-C levels. The proportion of individuals who had ischemic findings on treadmill exercise testing was significantly greater than control group in only the fathers of 12 to 15-year-old boys (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The parents, especially the fathers of children with coronary risk factors have higher levels of coronary risk factors than those in the control group. There is a familial aggregation of body fatness and adverse lipid levels in the families of the children with coronary risk factors. The parents of children recognized as having coronary risk factors should be evaluated for these risk factors too.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Osmangazi, TR-26480, Eskisehir, Turkey. bucar@ogu.edu.tr
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Uçar
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kiliç
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Sönmez
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozdamar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology