Are the children and adolescents with congenital heart disease living in Southwestern Ontario really overweight and obese?
OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children with congenital heart disease and compare them with age-matched healthy children in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.


METHODS
We compared the Center of Disease Control weight and body mass index z-scores of 1080 children, aged 2 to 18 years, who presented to our paediatric cardiology outpatient clinic from 2008 to 2010 for congenital heart disease with 1083 healthy controls.


RESULTS
In all, 18.2% of the children with congenital heart disease and 20.8% of healthy children were identified to be either overweight or obese. Overall, the weight category distribution had been similar between the congenital heart disease and healthy control groups, as well as between the congenital heart disease subgroups. There was no difference in normal weight and overweight/obese categories between children with congenital heart disease and healthy children. The underweight category, however, showed a significantly higher prevalence in congenital heart disease compared with healthy children (6.8 and 4.5%, respectively, p = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of overweight/obesity did not differ in children with congenital heart disease compared with age-matched healthy children; however, it is still high (18.2%). Obesity may represent an additional risk factor for the long-term cardiovascular health of congenital heart disease patients aside from the underlying heart defect.
1Department of Paediatrics,Western University,London,Canada.
Eva
E
Welisch
3Department of Paediatrics,Rems-Murr Hospital,Waiblingen,Germany.
Ralf
R
Rauch
1Department of Paediatrics,Western University,London,Canada.
Jamie A
JA
Seabrook
1Department of Paediatrics,Western University,London,Canada.
Guido
G
Filler
1Department of Paediatrics,Western University,London,Canada.
Kambiz
K
Norozi
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors