Preventive Cardiology Program
| Treating the Whole Child |
"We are working to treat the whole child, paying attention to what they eat, how much exercise they get and how they feel about themselves. We want to make real change at a time when it makes a real difference."
Elaine M. Urbina, MD, Director of the Preventive Cardiology Program
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The Preventive Cardiology Program is part of the fully integrated approach to pediatric heart care in the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Heart diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, are major health problems faced by our nation and the world. We now know that "adult" risk factors for future heart disease can be identified in children. These cardiovascular risk factors, like high cholesterol, hypertension and being overweight, typically occur in children due to family tendency (genes) influenced by many other medical and behavioral habits. Therefore, the Heart Institute employs an interdisciplinary team approach to preventive cardiology.
Coordinated Care for Pediatric Heart Patients
The Heart Institute is one of only a handful of centers nationwide to offer dedicated clinics for childhood hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity. By providing coordinated care between specialists in exercise, nutrition, behavioral psychology and preventive cardiology, we can impact the diet, physical activity and behavior of our patients most at-risk for future cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke.
Our physicians will develop an individualized treatment plan for your child. Based on the initial assessment, your child may have specialized measurements of blood pressure or body size performed. In addition to a visit with specially trained dieticians, we may also arrange consultation with a behavioral psychologist for implementation of therapeutic life-style changes or a visit with the exercise physiologist for a personalized exercise prescription. Ultrasound testing for cardiac or kidney changes may also be recommended.
Reducing Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Preventive Cardiology focuses on decreasing cardiovascular risk factors because actual heart, blood vessel and kidney damage may be found in some very high risk children well before adulthood. Through a proven integrated approach to reducing cardiovascular risk factors in youth, we hope that every child will have the opportunity to live a long and heart-healthy life.
Preventive Cardiology Clinics
Preventive Cardiology Clinics at the Heart Institute include:
Our Preventive Cardiology Program is clinically active and has a strong academic component with more than $1.5 million of extramural funding each year. Preventive Cardiology research focuses on the epidemiology of pediatric obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia and the cardiac and vascular effects of adverse cardiovascular risk factors in youth.
Contact the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children's
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
