Cardiovascular Health Screening In 26,063 Adolescent Blood Donors.

Introduction and Objective: Cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents track into adulthood and are associated with morbidity and early mortality. As part of a pilot health screening program implemented by Carter BloodCare, the largest independent blood program in Texas, we screened a large adolescent blood donor population for key cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: Blood pressure (SBP and DBP), total cholesterol and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) were measured in 26,063 volunteer high-school blood donors, 16-19 years of age, between 2011 and 2013. Cardiovascular risk factors were classified as high risk (SBP = 140 mm Hg and/or DBP = 90 mm Hg, cholesterol = 200 mg/dL, HbA1C = 6.5%) and intermediate or high risk (SBP = 120 mm Hg and/or DBP = 80 mm Hg, cholesterol = 170 mg/dL, HbA1C = 5.7%). The main study measures were the prevalence of 1, 2 or 3 risk factors within the same individual in the study population, with stratification by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and school district socioeconomic characteristics. Results: In the overall cohort, 66.5% of donors had at least one and 20.3% had at least two intermediate or high risk factors, and 15.3% had at least one high risk factor (Table). The percentage of donors in each non-zero category of intermediate or high risk factors increased with age (Ptrend<0.001), was higher in ethnic minorities (P<0.001 each for Asian, Black and Hispanic vs. White), and there were more boys than girls in all non-zero risk categories (P<0.001 for all). There were no statistically significant relationships between risk factor categories and socioeconomic characteristics (urban vs. rural and low-income vs. not low-income donor school district). Conclusions: The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among adolescent blood donors is common, with two or more concomitant risk factors identifiable in many donors. Blood donation programs may provide a unique portal for early screening and targeted preventive intervention in youth, with potential for cardiovascular disease prevention in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]