Cardiovascular Health & Early Stress

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Stress

Treatments: Other: Childhood stress

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06557707

HM20021768

Details and patient eligibility

About

Childhood adversity is highly prevalent, with 59% of the U.S. population reporting at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE). Substantial evidence links childhood adversity to cardiometabolic disease later in the life course, including heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, which are 3 of the top 10 causes of mortality in the United States.

ACEs encompass many possible traumatic and distressing experiences, including abuse, neglect, or severe household dysfunctions. It is not surprising that the experience of those extreme events during the first decade of life has tremendous implications for the individual's psychological and physical health.

Full description

Current knowledge supports that ACEs trigger emotional stress, anxiety, fear, and discomfort in the individual. Acute and intense mental stress leads to structural changes in the amygdala, prolonged activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and hyperactivation of the sympathetic nervous system. Then, the body secretes hormones to activate the cardiovascular system to cope with stress with a rapid increase in arterial pressure and heart rate. If the trauma is severe and/or repeated, the resting state for heart rate and blood pressure are readjusted, resulting in these children living in a heightened physiological state of arousal, including higher heart and respiration rates. This status leads to endothelial dysfunction and atherothrombotic activation that can contribute to premature cardiovascular dysfunctions. Notably, there is evidence of a cumulative effect, or dose-response relationship, between the number of reported ACEs and the prevalence of health risk behaviors and chronic diseases. Thus, despite the prevalence of ACEs and the impact on health and society, the mechanisms underlying these dysfunctions are still poorly understood. The present study aims to understand the impact of different types of ACEs on cardiovascular health.

Enrollment: 120 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 9 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Cohort 1

• Men and pre-menopausal women
• 18-30 years old

Cohort 2

• males and females
• 9-17 years old

Exclusion criteria

Cohort 1

• Evidence of cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, hepatic or cerebral diseases
• Evidence of pregnancy or currently nursing.
• Having a history of chronic pain
• Having a history of rheumatoid arthritis

Cohort 2

• Evidence of cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, hepatic or cerebral diseases
• Evidence of pregnancy or currently nursing.
• Having a history of chronic pain
• Having a history of rheumatoid arthritis

Trial design

120 participants in 4 patient groups

Young individuals ACE (ages 18-30 years old)

Description:

Young individuals who experienced accumulative adverse childhood experiences

Treatment:

Other: Childhood stress

Children ACE (ages 9-17 years old)

Description:

Children who experienced accumulative adverse childhood experiences .

Treatment:

Other: Childhood stress

Young individuals No ACE (ages 18-30 years old)

Description:

Young individuals who have not experienced accumulative adverse childhood experiences

Children No ACE (ages 9-17 years old)

Description:

Children who have not experienced accumulative adverse childhood experiences.