Left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in children with overweight and obesity.

OBJECTIVES: Several studies have found an association between obesity and heart failure. The purpose of our study was to identify the influence of the severity of obesity in children on structural and functional changes of the left ventricle and parameters of the systolic and diastolic function.
METHODS: This was a prospective controlled study carried out between February 1 and October 31, 2010, involving 21 children with overweight and obesity and 23 healthy controls. Following parameters were evaluated: nutritional status, intermittent and continuous ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, echocardiographic examination including aortal root diameter, left atrial diameter, interventricular septum thickness, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, left ventricular end-systolic diameter, left ventricular posterior wall thickness, left ventricle mass, relative wall thickness, left ventricular mass/height index and ejection fraction.
RESULTS: In overweight and obese children, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, average day-time SBP were higher than in controls. Also, left ventricular size was increased and diastolic dysfunction with preserved systolic function was present in overweight children.
CONCLUSIONS: In our study we have found that in obese and overweight children signs of early myocardial damage, both structural and functional, are detectable mainly as the alteration of the left ventricular diastolic function, despite preserved global systolic function. These changes seem to be intensified by the severity of obesity (Tab. 3, Ref. 39).