Cardiovascular Risk in Children With Chronic Conditions Study

Summary

Children living with chronic health conditions face a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases than their peers, largely due to the accelerated aging of the heart and blood vessels. Although experts recognize this elevated risk and recommend close monitoring and early intervention, the underlying mechanisms driving this phenomenon remain poorly understood. At present, no effective interventions specifically target its root causes.

Recent research shows that both large blood vessels (such as the carotid artery) and small vessels (such as those in the retina) can display early signs of damage decades before clinically apparent heart or vascular disease emerges. This accelerated vascular aging can result from multiple factors - including disease-related processes such as persistent inflammation and metabolic disturbances, treatment-related effects such as chemotherapy or long-term steroid use, and lifestyle changes associated with chronic illness, such as reduced physical activity and altered eating habits. However, it is still unclear how these factors influence the development and progression of vascular changes in children as they grow. Importantly, these changes can be monitored through non-invasive methods, offering a unique opportunity to study at-risk patients many years before overt cardiovascular disease develops.

Identifying these early changes may enable us to detect and track individuals at heightened risk well in advance of clinical disease. This study aims to deepen our understanding of the causes of increased cardiovascular risk in children with chronic conditions and to lay the groundwork for earlier, more targeted prevention strategies.

Conditions

• Kidney Transplant
• Familial Hypercholesterolaemia
• Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)
• Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM)
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Kawasaki Disease
• Liver Transplant
• Obesity and Overweight
• Hypertension
• Coarctation of Aorta
• Bone Marrow Transplant
• Cancer (Solid Tumors)
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma
• Lipoprotein(a)
• Aorta Stenosis
• Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
• Dyslipaemia
• White Coat Hypertension
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Juvenile Idiopahtic Arthritis
• Systemic Lupus Erthematosus
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• HIV Infection
• Transposition of Great Arteries

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Semmelweis University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Tamas Kiss, MD, PhD · Semmelweis University, Pediatric Center

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

25 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-04-01

Primary Completion

2029-01-31

Completion

2029-01-31

Countries

• Hungary

Study Locations