Simos Spyrou, Maria Kappou, Antonios Destounis, Anna Kounali, Eleni Bilianou, Stefanos Fousas
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a long life process that has its roots in childhood. Complications of the disease could lead to severe disability or even death and usually appear in adulthood as cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction, angina, stroke and peripheral vascular disease). Dyslipidemias are implicated in 30%-50% of cardiovascular diseases and constitute a primary risk factor. Elevated levels of fasting triglycerides are associated with the risk of coronary heart disease but it seems that nonfasting triglycerides can better predict the occurrence of the disease according to data from different studies. Different groups of patients such as hypertensives, diabetics and patients with coronary heart disease, exhibit pathological response to the fatty meal. It has also been found in young adults, that a pathological response to the fatty meal is associated with early coronary heart disease of their parents (European Atherosclerosis Research Study ΙΙ – EARSII). Over a period of 8 years research, the Bogalusa Heart Study has shown that children with consistently low levels of HDL-C, high levels of triglycerides and high Βody Mass Index (BMI) had a significantly increased prevalence of dyslipidemia as adults. Atherosclerotic disease begins in childhood and tracks into adulthood. Large studies have shown that early lesions of the disease can be recognized in the coronary arteries around the 10th year of life and in the abdominal aorta since the 3d year of life. Postprandial lipemia has been suggested as a risk factor for coronary heart disease and its treatment since the first-second decade of life could result in retardation of atherosclerosis and its complications.
Keywords: Postprandial lipemia in children, Atherosclerosis in children, Οral fat test meal, Triglycerides in children