title: Family history of myocardial infarction, stroke and diabetes and cardiometabolic markers in children.
abstract: Despite the overlap in occurrence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes and their risk factors, family history of these diseases has not yet been investigated simultaneously in relation to cardiometabolic markers in offspring. We examined how a family history of CVD and/or diabetes relates to cardiometabolic markers in offspring, and to what extent these diseases independently contribute to cardiometabolic markers.
  
  
  
  We used data from 1,374 12-year-old children and their parents participating in a birth cohort study in the Netherlands. Family history of CVD (myocardial infarction [MI] and stroke) and diabetes were reported by the parents. Children were classified as 'no', 'moderate' or 'strong' family history, based on early/late onset of disease in parents and grandparents. Cardiometabolic markers were measured at 12 years of age: waist circumference, cholesterol, blood pressure and HbA1c.
  
  
  
  Compared with those with no family history, children with a strong family history of MI and/or stroke and/or diabetes (29% of the study population) had 0.13 mmol/l higher total cholesterol (TC) (95% CI 0.03, 0.23) and 0.18 higher TC/HDL-cholesterol (HDLC) ratio (95% CI 0.04, 0.32). A strong family history of MI or diabetes was independently associated with unfavourable cardiometabolic markers specific to those diseases. These associations remained after adjusting for BMI. Children with a moderate family history had no unfavourable cardiometabolic markers.
  
  
  
  One-third of the children had a strong family history of CVD and/or diabetes. These children had higher TC levels and TC/HDLC ratios than children with no family history. A strong family history of MI or diabetes was independently associated with unfavourable cardiometabolic markers specific to those diseases.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition, Prevention, and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, PO Box 1, 3720 BA, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.|Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nina E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Berentzen
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition, Prevention, and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, PO Box 1, 3720 BA, Bilthoven, the Netherlands. alet.wijga@rivm.nl.
authors.forename: Alet H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Wijga
authors.affiliation: Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lenie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Rossem
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, UMCG, Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Allergology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, GRIAC Research Institute, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerard H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Koppelman
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition, Prevention, and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, PO Box 1, 3720 BA, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Nieuwenhuizen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gehring
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition, Prevention, and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, PO Box 1, 3720 BA, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Annemieke M W
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Spijkerman
authors.affiliation: Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henriëtte A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Smit
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Cholesterol; Diabetes; Family history; Paediatrics