Project Description:
The primary aim of the project is to determine whether older adults with Down syndrome, who reside in community settings and who typically have an elevated risk profile for cardiovascular disease, possess reduced atherosclerotic burdern (intima-meda thickness of the common carotid arteries) compared to age, gender, race, IQ matched adules with mental retardation without Down Syndroms and age, gender, race-matched adults without mental retardation. A second aim is to determine the realtionship between atherosclerotic burden and established CVD risk factors such as, resting blook pressure, fasting insulim, abdominal obesity, homocysteine, a marker of inflammation (C-reactive protein), physical activity level, and dietary fat intake in the "unique atheroma free" model of adults with Down syndrome and other adults with mental retardation without Down syndrome.