Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading
cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly one-third of all deaths, and poses
a major economic burden to the global healthcare system. Thus, the prevention of
CVD is a public health priority and identifying individuals at increased
cardiovascular risk at an early stage is of paramount importance for minimising
disease progression.

Vascular ageing, the decline in vascular structure and function, is an integrated
marker of overall cardiovascular risk burden on the vasculature over time and
ultimately leads to end organ damage in the heart, brain and kidney. While age
dependent arterial damage typically appears in the fifth or sixth decade of life,
there is wide variability between individuals with some displaying early vascular
ageing. Exposure to environmental and genetic factors as early as during
childhood or even during foetal life promotes the development and accumulation of
subclinical vascular changes that directs an individual towards a trajectory of early
vascular ageing. This has led to the concept that vascular age, as opposed to
chronological age, may be better related to the prognosis of CVD.

However, research concerning vascular ageing in early life and/or adolescents is
sparse despite substantial evidence indicating that the formative years of life play
a significant role in contributing to traditional risk factors exhibited in adulthood.
It is unclear what is normal vascular ageing in this population and no large-scale
study has determined what specific factors contribute to accelerated vascular
ageing in early life.

By creating the Vascular Youth Consortium we will be able to address these
unknowns. The findings of which, will be instrumental to clinicians in preventing
the development of overt CVD later in life.