Test Shows Coronary Risk in Children

A relatively simple blood test appears capable of identifying children who have an increased risk of heart attacks as adults, researchers said.

They have found that children whose parents have had heart attacks tend to have unusual levels of two proteins associated with cholesterol, which can build up in arteries and set the stage for heart attacks.

Family history long has been known as a clue to risk of heart disease. But the ability to identify specific individuals who are at risk suggests that such persons can take action to lessen their chances of developing heart disease.

The study, published in the current New England Journal of Medicine, compared the blood of children whose parents had heart attacks with those whose parents had not. In all, 2,416 children, ages 5 to 17, were involved.

Although no significant difference in cholesterol levels were found, children whose mother or father had a heart attack had an average 2% higher level of a protein known as apolipoprotein B and an average 3% lower level of a protein called apolipoprotein A-1, according to Dr. Frank A. Franklin, a pediatrician at the Louisiana State University Medical Center, where the study was conducted.

Apolipoprotein B is associated with a “bad” form of cholesterol known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which tends to accumulate in arteries. Apolipoprotein A-1 is associated with a “good” form of cholesterol known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which helps rid the body of LDL.