Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease among Individuals with Rare Syndrome Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

AbstractCoronary artery disease is a leading cause of death among the aging members of the general population. Treatment strategies addressing the well defined risk factors and genetic factors and which prevent and reduce arterial vascular disease have been established. As in the general population, the prevalence of coronary artery disease also increases with age among adults with intellectual disability (ID), presumably due to the same risk factors. Within the ID population, however, there is a subgroup of individuals with ID due to rare syndromes who are predisposed to premature arteriosclerosis. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyperhomocysteinemia, and structural arterial abnormalities appear to be associated with these syndromes predisposing them to the early development of widespread vascular disease. Reviewed are the associations between the development of premature arteriosclerosis and rare syndromes of ID. Awareness of the associations may lead to the development of more focused preventive healthcare plans among these groups of individuals.