Age-specific lipid and lipoprotein thresholds for adolescents.

Plasma lipid and lipoprotein values that are relatively stable in adulthood undergo continuous changes during the developmental years, with most of these changes reflecting natural fluctuations that occur with growth and maturation. Therefore, a clinical classification system appropriate for youth should not consist of uniform lipoprotein thresholds that can be used at all ages to define healthy and increased risk values. This is, however, the approach used in the National Cholesterol Education Program pediatric guidelines.

Development of age-specific adolescent metabolic syndrome criteria that are linked to the Adult Treatment Panel III and International Diabetes Federation criteria.

Objectives: The study objectives were to develop age-specific adolescent metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria that were linked to the health-based Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) adult criteria.

Background: There has been no consistency in the criteria used to diagnose the MetS in adolescents. Studies have either applied adult criteria or arbitrarily chosen adolescent high-risk cut-points.

Vascular risks and management of obesity in children and adolescents.

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in many countries. Pediatric obesity is associated with the development of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and the metabolic syndrome. It is also associated with an increased risk of CV disease (CVD) in adulthood.

Distribution of lipoproteins by age and gender in adolescents.

Background: The current National Cholesterol Education Program lipoprotein classification system for children and adolescents is recommended for use among 2- to 19-year-olds. This classification system does not take into account gender differences or the natural fluctuations in lipoprotein concentrations that occur with growth and maturation.

Methods And Results: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were used to develop age- and gender-specific thresholds that can be used to denote abnormal levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Influence of physical activity on mortality in elderly with coronary artery disease.

Purpose: The primary objectives were to 1) examine the dose-response relationship between physical activity and mortality in individuals with CAD, and 2) determine whether the aforementioned relationship is consistent within strata of other personal characteristics.

Methods: Subjects included 1045 elderly men and women with CAD from the Cardiovascular Health Study. In the first set of analyses, the dose-response relationship between baseline leisure-time physical activity level and all-cause mortality risk over 9 yr was determined using Cox proportional hazards regression models.