Children with heart disease being let down by lack of clinical trials

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: November 2017

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: Less than one per cent of UK children born with congenital heart disease are enrolled in clinical trials looking to improve treatments, according to research we’ve funded.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:   British Heart Foundation

Study recommends screening toddlers for heart disease risk

Source: NHS Choices: Behind the Headlines

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Date of publication: November 2016

Publication type:  News item

In a nutshell: “Toddlers should be screened for an inherited form of heart disease … experts suggest,” BBC News reports.

A new study looked at the feasibility of screening for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an inherited condition that affects around 1 to 2 in every 250 people in the UK. It can cause abnormally high cholesterol levels.

It doesn’t usually cause any noticeable symptoms, but people with FH aged between 20 and 40 are 100 times more likely to have a heart attack than other people their age.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:  NHS Choices: Behind the Headlines

Bad childhood experiences ‘mean chronic illness more likely’

Source: BBC Health News

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Date of publication: November 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: Children who are exposed to abuse, domestic violence or other stresses are far more likely to develop long term health problems, says new research.

The Public Health Wales study looks at adverse experiences in childhood (ACEs) which include parents separating.

Children with four or more ACEs, around 14%, are three times more likely to get lung or heart disease later in life.

One senior health figure said instead of “mending broken adults” a focus was needed on “building stronger children”.

Length of publication: 1 website

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Acknowledgement:    BBC Health News

Damaged heart genes can be inherited

Source: BBC Health News www.bbc.co.uk/news/health

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Date of publication: August 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: New analysis of congenital heart disease has found affected children often inherit damaging gene variants from their seemingly healthy parents.

The work by Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and partially funded by the British Heart Foundation, sought to discover more about the genetic background of CHD.

CHD affects 1% of people worldwide and around 1.35 million babies each year. It causes problems such as holes in the heart which can need corrective surgery.

The international research, published in Nature Genetics, analysed the protein-coding segments of the genome of 1,900 CHD patients and their parents.

It had previously been thought that many cases might be caused by new genetic mutations which were absent in the parents.

This study found children can instead inherit rare gene variants and it paves the way for affected families to be given clearer advice.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:    BBC Health News www.bbc.co.uk/news/health

Test fitness at primary school

Source: BBC Health News

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Date of publication: June 2015

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:  Children should be tested for fitness, as well as maths and English, to reduce inactivity, say health campaigners. Campaign group ukactive says the UK faces a “ticking time bomb” of health problems due to lack of exercise. Its report says only half of seven-year-olds in England are active for an hour a day, and says more activity should take place in the classroom. “We should focus on the health of our hearts, not just the size of our waists,” say the authors.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement: BBC Health News

Cardiorespiratory fitness and ideal cardiovascular health in European adolescents

Source: Heart journal

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Date of publication: December 2014

Publication type: Article

In a nutshell:  The results suggest a hypothetical cardiorespiratory fitness level associated with a healthier cardiovascular profile in adolescents. The fitness standards could be used in schools as part of surveillance and/or screening systems to identify youth with poor health behaviours who might benefit from intervention programmes.

Length of publication: 9 pages

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Acknowledgement: Heart journal

Damage to ‘heart health’ may start in childhood

Source: NHS Choices

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Date of publication: March 2015

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: A US study has found high levels of known risk factors for heart disease in children. The study has not shown the direct effect these risks have in this age group, but it has raised concerns that they may affect the heart from childhood.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement: NHS Choices

Children of obese mothers more likely to develop heart disease

Source: BBC Health News

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Date of publication: February 2015

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: The latest findings from the Dorian project has found that children of obese mothers are more likely to develop heart disease, have a stroke or develop type 2 diabetes. Based on the current findings, researchers say urgent strategies are required to prevent girls and young women becoming obese.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:  UK Health Forum

Over two hours screen time a day may raise a child’s blood pressure

Source: NHS Choices

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Date of publication: February 2015

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:  A large study, involving more than 5,000 children who were followed up over two years, found a link between time sitting in front of a screen and an increase in blood pressure rates. It found that a worryingly high number of children – more than one in 10 – developed high blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in later life.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:  NHS Choices

British Heart Foundation calls for legal loopholes for junk food ads to be closed

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: January 2015

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:  A survey by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has found that 70 percent of parents have been pestered by their children to buy junk food they have seen advertised on TV. 39 percent said they felt that junk food adverts on TV made it difficult to ensure their children kept to a healthy diet. The BHF believe these results highlight the need for the UK’s regulatory system to close legal loopholes that currently allow companies to advertise their junk food during family shows and online.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:  UK Health Forum

Obese children can begin to show signs of future heart problems

Source: Medical News Today

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Date of publication: October 2014

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:  Researchers from the University of Leipzig have found they could detect possible heart problems in obese children and teenagers. Using an ultrasound, researchers were able to assess blood flow through the valves and chambers of the heart and found changes in the shape and function in the hearts of children who were obese compared with those within normal weight boundaries. Further research is needed to find out if the changes to the heart are reversible and the predictive value of these cardiovascular changes.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement: Uk Health Forum

Lower risk of diabetes and heart disease in stronger children

Source: Pediatrics journal

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Date of publication: April 2014

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell:  Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School have found that children’s strength capacity can have both short and long term benefits for their health. Studying about 1400 10 to 12 year olds the study results found children with greater strength-to-body-mass ratios had considerably lower risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Length of publication: 7 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement: UK Health Forum