Pediatric Preventive Cardiology

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the USA. It has been shown that cardiovascular disease begins in childhood and risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease can be identified and treated in children. For example, inherited dyslipidemias such as familial hypercholesterolemia can be detected in young children and early treatment can delay the development of cardiovascular disease. Obesity is a serious worldwide health problem and a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In the USA, approximately 13.7 million (18.5%) of children and adolescents are obese. The rise in rates of pediatric obesity parallels a rise in pediatric atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Lifestyle and dietary changes starting as early as the perinatal period can improve this trend. The aim of this chapter is to review pediatric risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease, describe specific pediatric diseases that further impact risk, and discuss how to identify and treat these children.