BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a cardiovascular risk factor. OBJECTIVE: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and cardiac functions of obese children and their correlations were evaluated. SUBJECTS: Five hundred obese children and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. METHODS: Anthropometric, laboratory data and echocardiographic measurements of IMT, EAT and cardiac functions were determined. RESULTS: Increased M-mode echocardiographic measurements, E/e' ratios, Tei index values and decreased E/A and e'/a' ratios (where E and A are early and late mitral/tricuspid diastolic velocities, respectively, and e' and a' are peak early diastolic and peak atrial systolic myocardial velocities, respectively), were determined in the obese group. Also, carotid artery IMT and EAT thickness were significantly higher in obese children. Carotid artery IMT, EAT thickness and left ventricular mass (LVM) were found to be strongly associated with Tei index values. CONCLUSION: Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In our study, we showed that obese children have early subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunctions. Also, these cardiac impairments are correlated with the increase in IMT, EAT thickness and LVM.
BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a cardiovascular risk factor. OBJECTIVE: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and cardiac functions of obesechildren and their correlations were evaluated. SUBJECTS: Five hundred obesechildren and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. METHODS: Anthropometric, laboratory data and echocardiographic measurements of IMT, EAT and cardiac functions were determined. RESULTS: Increased M-mode echocardiographic measurements, E/e' ratios, Tei index values and decreased E/A and e'/a' ratios (where E and A are early and late mitral/tricuspid diastolic velocities, respectively, and e' and a' are peak early diastolic and peak atrial systolic myocardial velocities, respectively), were determined in the obese group. Also, carotid artery IMT and EAT thickness were significantly higher in obesechildren. Carotid artery IMT, EAT thickness and left ventricular mass (LVM) were found to be strongly associated with Tei index values. CONCLUSION:Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In our study, we showed that obesechildren have early subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunctions. Also, these cardiac impairments are correlated with the increase in IMT, EAT thickness and LVM.
Authors: Isabel María Blancas-Sánchez; María Del Rosal Jurado; Pilar Aparicio-Martínez; Gracia Quintana Navarro; Manuel Vaquero-Abellan; Rafael A Castro Jiménez; Francisco Javier Fonseca Pozo Journal: Nutrients Date: 2022-09-01 Impact factor: 6.706