Cardiovascular disease risk factors: a childhood perspective.
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide including in developing countries like India. Indians are known to be predisposed to CVD, which occur almost a decade earlier in them. Though these diseases manifest in the middle age and beyond, it is now clear that the roots of CVD lie in childhood and adolescence. Many of the conventional risk factors of CVD such as high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity have their beginnings in childhood and then track overtime. It is thus important to screen and identify these risk factors early and treat them to prevent onset of CVD. Similarly community based strategies to prevent onset of these risk factors is imperative to tackle this burgeoning public health crisis especially in countries like ours with limited resources.
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, All India Institute of Medical Sciences & Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi, India.
Pradeep A
PA
Praveen
Ambuj
A
Roy
Dorairaj
D
Prabhakaran
D000293:Adolescent; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D003906:Developing Countries; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D058015:Health Communication; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D000074606:Smoking Prevention