ORIGINAL REPORTS :C ARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND RISK FACTORS CORRELATES OF FEMORAL ARTERY FLOW MEDIATED DILATION IN A MULTI-ETHNIC SAMPLE OF 12- TO 26-YEAR-OLDS

Objective: Endothelial dysfunction is one of the earliest events in the pathogenesis of car- diovascular disease (CVD). Studies involving healthy adults have found endothelial func- tion, measured via flow mediated dilation (FMD), to be impaired in African Americans (AAs) compared to European Americans (EAs). The purpose of this study was to determine whether ethnic differences exist in FMD in a group of healthy teenagers and young adults, and to examine separately, by ethnic group, the relationships between FMD and several measures of adverse cardiovascular prognoses. Design: Subjects underwent measurement of various anthropometric, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic variables.