Recruiting

Blood Vessel Health

Sponsor:

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Code:

NCT07630207

Conditions

Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 35

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Study Details

Brief summary:

Adults with Down syndrome (Ds) are often thought to have a lower risk of heart and blood vessel disease because they tend to have lower blood pressure and fewer heart attacks than people without Ds. However, recent research suggests that heart and blood vessel diseases, including stroke, are becoming a more common cause of death in adults with Ds as life expectancy increases. Despite these findings, studies examining heart and blood vessel health in adults with Ds have produced mixed results, making it difficult to determine their true risk and whether preventive strategies are needed. This study will investigate the health of blood vessels in adults with Ds and compare the results with those of adults without Ds. Healthy blood vessels are important because they help deliver blood and oxygen throughout the body. Changes in blood vessel function and stiffness can occur with aging and may increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and memory problems. The study aims to determine whether adults with Ds experience changes in blood vessel health that may place them at increased cardiovascular risk. Specifically, the study will: (1) Examine how well blood vessels function in adults with Ds; (2) Measure the stiffness of arteries in adults with Ds; (3) Compare two methods used to assess blood vessel function to determine whether a simpler exercise-based test provides results similar to a commonly used standard test.

The findings may improve understanding of cardiovascular risk in adults with Ds and help guide future strategies to promote healthy aging in this population.

Conditions

Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)

Study ID

NCT07630207

Start date

Apr 9, 2026

Status verified date

Jun, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 35

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • between 18 and 35 years old
  • generally healthy
  • sedentary (defined as being involved in less than 30 minutes of moderately-intense physical activity per day)

Additionally, for the participants with Down syndrome:

  • diagnosis of Down syndrome trisomy 21
  • normal thyroid function or stable thyroid function (and medications) for at least 6 mo.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • unresolved congenital heart disease;
  • atherosclerotic or other vascular disease (such as blood clot history or clotting disorders);
  • asthma or other pulmonary disease;
  • hypertension (defined BP >140/90 mmHg); blood pressure below 90/60 mmHg;
  • history of pre-syncope or syncope;
  • diabetes (defined as Hba1c of >7.5% or use of glucose lowering medication);
  • severe obesity (defined as BMI >40);
  • heart medications affecting heart rate, blood pressure or arterial function, including blood thinners; anti-inflammatory medication including NSAIDS;
  • current smoking;
  • currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study period;
  • currently breastfeeding;
  • unable or unwilling to use an acceptable method of contraception during the study timeframe;
  • positive pregnancy test at screening.

Study Design

Enrollment

24 participants

Anticipated

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

Down Syndrome

Adults with Down Syndrome

Control group

Age- and sex-matched adults without Down Syndrome

Primary outcome measure

  • Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). [ Time Frame: Through study completion, on average 4 hours ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Thessa Hilgenkamp, PhD

(702) 8951055thessa.hilgenkamp@unlv.edu

Andre Rocha, MSc

(725)587-7643andre.rocha@unlv.edu

Locations

University of Nevada Las Vegas - UNLV

Recruiting

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89154

Contacts

Thessa Hilgenkamp, PhD

(702) 8951055thessa.hilgenkamp@unlv.edu

Andre Rocha, MSc

7255877643andre.rocha@unlv.edu

Principal Investigator:

Thessa Hilgenkamp, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Last update posted

Jun 5, 2026

Last verified

Jun, 2026

Keywords

  • Down Syndrome
  • Trisomy 21
  • Arterial stiffness
  • Endothelial function
  • vascular function
  • ultrasonography
  • arterial doppler

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Nevada, Las Vegas on 2026-06-05.