Year: 2010
Type: editorial
Abstract: Atherosclerosis begins in youth, and the extent of coronary lesions in adolescents is associated with individual and combined levels of risk factors including lipids, smoking, blood pressure, obesity, and-the focus of this editorial-hyperglycemia.1,2 These risk factors tend to track from childhood to adulthood; children with elevated risk factor levels tend to retain them as they grow, thus becoming adults at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.Of these risk factors, hyperglycemia is a special case.Hyperglycemia heralds diabetes.Diabetes is not only a risk factor for heart and stroke but, because of its myriad vascular and neurologic effects, it is also a major cause of renal disease, blindness, amputations, dental disease, pregnancy complications, peripheral neuropathy, and sexual dysfunction.3 With the obesity epidemic, type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in the pediatrician's office in the West, and probably will soon in the developing world, where rates of adult diabetes are skyrocketing.
Author: Matthew W. Gillman
Institutions: Harvard University, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1971238727