The association between intima media thickness, central obesity and diastolic blood pressure in obese and overweight children: a cross-sectional school-based study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and central obesity, cardiovasculary risk factors, and chronic inflammation markers in overweight and obese schoolchildren in Eastern Turkey.


METHODS
A cross-sectional school-based survey on 2765 schoolchildren was performed. We collected the clinical data (age, sex, percentage of body fat, and measured systolic blood pressure [BP] and diastolic BP, triglycerides, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, insulin, homocysteine and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) in 67 obese and 24 overweight children. The control group was composed of nonobese children of similar age and sex.


RESULTS
Mean systolic and diastolic BP values in the cases of overweight and obese groups were higher than those in the control group cases (p=0.001). Obese and overweight children demonstrated a significantly thicker intima media as compared with the control group (p=0.001). Carotid IMT was significantly correlated to the body mass index (r=0.396, p=0.001), fat mass percentage (r=0.257, p=0.036), waist circumference (r=0.390, p=0.001), diastolic BP (r=0.266, p=0.030), glucose (r=0.250, p=0.042), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (r=0.269, p=0.001) in the obese group. In multiple linear regression analysis, carotid IMT correlated significantly to waist circumference (p=0.045), and diastolic BP (p=0.031) in obese group.


CONCLUSIONS
Obesity is related to cardiovascular risk factors leading to early atherosclerosis in schoolchildren. There is a relationship between atherosclerosis, and central obesity, diastolic BP, and chronic inflammation. Waist circumference measurement is more sensitive than other anthropometric measurements in predicting obesity and associated complications.
Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Inonu University Faculty of Medicine, Malatya, Turkey. ozlemelkiran@yahoo.com
Ozlem
O
Elkiran
Erdal
E
Yilmaz
Mustafa
M
Koc
Ayhan
A
Kamanli
Bilal
B
Ustundag
Necip
N
Ilhan
D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D012572:School Health Services; D013334:Students