NCT06557707

Cardiovascular Health & Early Stress

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 120 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 9 Years – 30 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

• Stress

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Childhood stress	Based on stress-related information, participants will be divided into those who were exposed to adversity during childhood and those who were not exposed.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-01-20
• Primary completion: 2027-12-01
• Completion: 2028-12-01
• First posted: 2024-08-16
• Last updated: 2025-09-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study