The effect of obesity on echocardiographic and metabolic parameters in childhood

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Metabolic Disorders

Background:

• Obesity in children is associated with increased risk of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and cardiac dysfunction.
• Conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) are key tools for assessing cardiac function.
• Metabolic markers like glucose, lipids, and insulin play a role in cardiac health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate ventricular function in obese children using echocardiography and TDI.
• To correlate cardiac function parameters with metabolic markers (glucose, lipids, insulin).
• To identify subclinical cardiac changes in pediatric obesity.

Main Methods:

• Conventional echocardiography and TDI were performed on 30 obese children and an age-matched control group.
• Fasting serum glucose, lipid profiles, and insulin levels were measured in obese children.
• Left ventricular mass (LVM), relative wall thickness (RWT), and LV end-diastolic diameter were assessed.

Main Results:

• Obese children had significantly greater LVM/ht2.7, RWT, and LV end-diastolic diameter compared to controls.
• Diastolic function (E/A ratio) of the right ventricle and interventricular septum (IVS) was reduced in obese children.
• LVM/ht2.7 and RWT correlated with BMI; IVS and LV posterior wall thickness correlated with insulin, VLDL, and triglycerides.

Conclusions:

• Obese children exhibit left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) associated with elevated BMI, insulin, and lipid levels.
• TDI revealed subclinical diastolic dysfunction in the right ventricle and IVS in obese children.
• These findings highlight the cardiac impact of pediatric obesity and associated metabolic derangements.