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Published on: February 2, 2017

Is Overweight a Risk of Early Atherosclerosis in Childhood?

Seref Alpsoy1, Aydın Akyuz1, Dursun Cayan Akkoyun1

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Namık Kemal University Medical School, Turkey.

Angiology
|February 13, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Overweight children show early signs of atherosclerosis, with increased carotid intima-media thickness and reduced flow-mediated dilation compared to normal-weight peers. These vascular changes are linked to metabolic factors like insulin and BMI.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Vascular Biology
  • Metabolic Health

Background:

  • Childhood overweight is a growing public health concern.
  • Early detection of cardiovascular risk factors in children is crucial.
  • Vascular health assessments in overweight children are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare vascular parameters between overweight and normal-weight children.
  • To identify risk factors associated with early atherosclerosis in overweight children.

Main Methods:

  • Measured brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and common carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT).
  • Compared vascular measures in overweight (n=67) and normal-weight (n=115) children (72-182 months).
  • Analyzed relationships between vascular parameters and metabolic markers (insulin, glucose, triglycerides, BMI).

Main Results:

  • Overweight children exhibited significantly increased cIMT and decreased FMD compared to controls (P < .001).
  • cIMT and FMD showed close correlations with serum insulin concentrations.
  • Independent predictors for increased cIMT included age, waist circumference, and triglycerides.
  • Fasting glucose and BMI independently predicted decreased FMD.

Conclusions:

  • Overweight children demonstrate subclinical atherosclerosis, similar to obese children.
  • Metabolic dysregulation in overweight children contributes to early vascular damage.
  • Early intervention is warranted to mitigate long-term cardiovascular risks in overweight youth.

Keywords:
carotid intima-media thicknesschildhoodflow-mediated dilatationoverweightperipheral arterial disease

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