Metabolic syndrome in childhood predicts adult cardiovascular disease 25 years later: the Princeton Lipid Research Clinics Follow-up Study.
OBJECTIVE
The goal was to assess the association of metabolic syndrome in childhood with adult cardiovascular disease 25 years later.


METHODS
Data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Lipid Research Clinics Princeton Prevalence Study (1973-1976) and the Princeton Follow-up Study (2000-2004) were used. BMI was used as the obesity measure in childhood, because waist circumference was not measured in the Lipid Research Clinics study. The adult cardiovascular disease status of participants and their parents was obtained through participant report. A logistic analysis was used to predict adult cardiovascular disease; pediatric metabolic syndrome, age at the Princeton Follow-up Study, gender, race, and parental history of cardiovascular disease were potential explanatory variables.


RESULTS
Ages ranged from 6 to 19 years in the Lipid Research Clinics study and from 30 to 48 years in the Princeton Follow-up Study. There were 17 cases of cardiovascular disease in the analysis cohort in the Princeton Follow-up Study. Pediatric metabolic syndrome and age at follow-up assessment were significant predictors of cardiovascular disease. Pediatric metabolic syndrome and changes in age-specific BMI percentile from childhood to adulthood were significant predictors of adult metabolic syndrome.


CONCLUSIONS
Evaluating children for metabolic syndrome could identify patients at increased risk of adult cardiovascular disease, making targeted interventions possible.
Division of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. john.morrison@cchmc.org
John A
JA
Morrison
Lisa Aronson
LA
Friedman
Courtney
C
Gray-McGuire
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000639:trends*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence
D008055:Lipids