title: Paradoxical increase in arterial compliance in obese pubertal children.
abstract: We determined whether arterial compliance measured by pulse wave analysis is impaired in obese pubertal children compared to normal weight controls, and assessed whether arterial compliance is associated with ambulatory activity. Body fat percentage was significantly different between the normal (n = 33) and obese (n = 34) participants (P < .001). Large (P = .012) and small (P < .001) arterial compliance were lower in the normal-weight group. After adjusting for height, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, race, sex, and Tanner stage, large arterial compliance was no longer different between groups (P = .066), whereas small arterial compliance remained higher in the obese group (P < .001). Obese pubertal children have paradoxically increased small arterial compliance compared to that of normal weight children, even after adjusting for height, blood pressure, race, sex, and Tanner stage. Thus, obesity in adolescence is not associated with impairments in small arterial compliance.
authors.affiliation: CMRI Diabetes and Metabolic Research Program, Section of Diabetes/Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. laura-chalmers@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Copeland
authors.forename: Casey N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Hester
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Gardner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003187:Compliance / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*