Proximal aortic stiffness in the paediatric adolescent population

Background Pathological studies have shown that atherosclerotic disease begins in early childhood. Furthermore, associations between risk factors and early atherosclerotic disease are evident in this population and therefore may be linked to future symptomatic coronary events. While we have shown that ageing preferentially stiffens the proximal aorta in an adult population, it is uncertain whether this also occurs in an adolescent cohort.