Racial Differences in Aortic Stiffness in Children.
To investigate racial differences in central blood pressure and vascular structure/function as subclinical markers of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in children.



This cross-sectional study recruited 54 African American children (18 female, 36 male; age 10.5 ± 0.9 years) and 54 white children (27 female, 26 male; age 10.8 ± 0.9 years) from the Syracuse City community as part of the Environmental Exposures and Child Health Outcomes study. Participants underwent blood lipid and vascular testing on 2 separate days. Carotid artery intima-media thickness and aortic stiffness were measured by ultrasonography and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, respectively. Blood pressure was assessed at the brachial artery and estimated in the carotid artery using applanation tonometry.



African American children had significantly higher pulse wave velocity (4.8 ± 0.8 m/s) compared with white children (4.2 ± 0.7 m/s; P < .05), which remained significant after adjustment for confounding variables including socioeconomic status. African American children had significantly higher intima-media thickness (African American 0.41 ± 0.06, white 0.39 ± 0.05 mm), and carotid systolic blood pressure (African American 106 ± 11, white 102 ± 8 mm Hg; P < .05) compared with white children, although these racial differences were no longer present after covariate adjustments for height.



Racial differences in aortic stiffness are present in childhood. Our findings suggest that racial differences in subclinical cardiovascular disease occur earlier than previously recognized.
Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
Wesley K
WK
Lefferts
Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
Jacqueline A
JA
Augustine
Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
Nicole L
NL
Spartano
Pediatric Cardiology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY.
Nader H
NH
Atallah-Yunes
Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. Electronic address: ksheffer@syr.edu.
Kevin S
KS
Heffernan
Department of Public Health, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
Brooks B
BB
Gump
D001741:Black or African American; D001011:Aorta; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059289:Vascular Stiffness; D044465:White People
arterial stiffness; central blood pressure; pediatrics; race