The effect of obesity on echocardiographic and metabolic parameters in childhood.
BACKGROUND
Obese children are predisposed to left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and cardiac dysfunction. We evaluated ventricular function of obese children with conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and correlated these with fasting serum glucose, lipid and insulin levels.


METHODS
Thirty obese children were examined by conventional echocardiography and TDI and compared with an age-matched control group. In the obese children, fasting serum glucose, lipid, and insulin levels were obtained.


RESULTS
Systolic and diastolic function of the LV was normal in obese children. LVM/ht2.7 (LVM normalized for height), relative wall thickness (RWT), and LV end-diastolic diameter were significantly greater in obese children. The early to late relaxation velocity ratio (E/A) determined by TDI for the right ventricle and interventricular septum (IVS) were significantly lower in the obese group, LVM/ht2.7 and RWT correlated with body mass index (BMI). In the obese group, IVS and LV posterior wall thickness correlated with insulin, very low density lipoprotein, and triglyceride levels. However, we failed to show this correlation when these measurements were indexed to height.


CONCLUSIONS
Left ventricular hypertrophy, as evidenced by increased LV mass, was present in obese children. Higher BMI, insulin, very low density lipoprotein, and triglyceride levels were associated with LV hypertrophy. TDI revealed subclinical changes in diastolic function of the right ventricle and IVS.
Kinik
Sibel Tulgar
ST
Department of Pediatrics, Başkent University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. stkinik@hotmail.com
Varan
Birgül
B
Yildirim
Selman Vefa
SV
Tokel
Kürşad
K
D000293:Adolescent; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right / Q000502:physiology
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids