Overweight in children is associated with arterial endothelial dysfunction and intima-media thickening.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to study arterial endothelial function and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), both early markers of atherosclerosis, in overweight compared to normal children.


METHODS
Case-control comparison.


METHODS
A total of 36 asymptomatic overweight children (body mass index (BMI)>23; mean 25+/-3) aged 9-12 y and 36 age- and gender-matched nonobese healthy children (BMI<21) from a school community.


METHODS
The key parameters were: BMI, arterial endothelial function (ultrasound-derived endothelium-dependent dilation) and carotid artery IMT. The secondary parameters measured included body fat content, waist-hip ratio (WHR), blood pressures, blood lipids, insulin and glucose.


RESULTS
The two groups were well matched for blood pressures, cholesterol and glucose levels, but BMI (P<0.0001), body fat (P=0.001), WHR (P<0.05), fasting blood insulin (P=0.001) and triglyceride levels (P<0.05) were higher in obese children. Overweight was associated with impaired arterial endothelial function (6.6+/-2.3 vs 9.7+/-3.0%, P<0.0001) and increased carotid IMT (0.49+/-0.04 mm vs 0.45+/-0.04 mm, P=0.006). The degree of endothelial dysfunction correlated with BMI (P<0.003) on multivariate analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Obesity, even of mild-to-moderate degree, is independently associated with abnormal arterial function and structure in otherwise healthy young children.
Woo
K S
KS
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. kamsangwoo@cuhk.edu.hk
Chook
P
P
Yu
C W
CW
Sung
R Y T
RY
Qiao
M
M
Leung
S S F
SS
Lam
C W K
CW
Metreweli
C
C
Celermajer
D S
DS
D000886:Anthropometry; D001824:Body Constitution; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*