Wahezi DM, et al. - This study was conducted to identify the underlying frequency of premature atherosclerosis in children with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) compared with pediatric controls using flow-mediated dilation as a measure of endothelial function. Researchers examined children and adolescents with and without JDM for traditional atherosclerotic risk factors and evaluation of endothelial function, applying endothelial pulse amplitude testing. The study found that 75% of pediatric controls were of Black or Hispanic descent (compared with 55% in the JDM group) and 70% were found to live in a household with a medium income less than $50,000/year (compared with 45% in the JDM group). It was showed that lipoprotein A seemed to be different between controls and JDM patients (66 nmol/L and 16.5 nmol/L, respectively)among traditional atherogenic risk factors. The results demonstrated that atherogenic risk factors are present in the pediatric population and may be correlated with endothelial dysfunction, even at very young ages. Traditional and sociodemographic features may play a greater role in the ultimate development of cardiovascular disease, despite increasing concerns that children with rheumatologic disorders may be at raised risk of developing premature atherosclerosis.