A useful predictor of early atherosclerosis in obese children: serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.
Childhood obesity seems to contribute to the development of vascular inflammation and the progression of arterial wall changes. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has recently emerged as a useful biomarker for vascular inflammation associated with atherosclerosis. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the association of the serum hs-CRP level with ultrasonic findings of early atherosclerosis, carotid intima-media wall thickness (IMT) and brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD), in obese children. Thirty eight obese children and 45 sex/age-matched healthy control children were recruited. Serum CRP levels were measured by the high-sensitive latex turbidimetric immunoassay, and we measured carotid IMT and brachial FMD using high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. Obese children had significantly higher hs-CRP levels (1.40+/-0.74 mg/L vs. 0.55+/-0.49 mg/L, p<0.01), as well as increased IMT (0.52+/-0.09 mm vs. 0.41+/-0.07 mm, p<0.01) and impaired FMD (7.35+/-7.78% vs. 20.34+/-16.81%, p<0.01) compared to healthy controls. Serum hs-CRP correlated positively with IMT (r=0.413, p<0.05) and inversely with FMD (r=-0.350, p<0.05) in the obesity group. Measurement of the serum hs-CRP level is a simple, cheap, and highly reproducible assay and correlates with IMT and FMD in obese children. Thus, it would be a useful marker for evaluating and estimating the degree of atherosclerosis in children.
Roh
Eui Jung
EJ
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Konyang University, Daejeon, Korea.
Lim
Jae Woo
JW
Ko
Kyoung Og
KO
Cheon
Eun Jung
EJ
D000293:Adolescent; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein