Cardiac Abnormalities in Youth with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Childhood obesity has been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in adulthood. Of great concern is the expected increase in the population's CVD burden in relation to childhood obesity. This is compounded by the risk related to chronic hyperglycemia exposure in youth with type 2 diabetes. We herein provide an overview of the spectrum of early cardiovascular disease manifestation in youth with obesity and type 2 diabetes, in particular abnormalities in cardiac structure and function. Cardiac remodeling and adverse target organ damage is already evident in the pediatric age group in children with obesity and type 2 diabetes. This supports the importance of intensifying obesity prevention efforts and early intervention to treat comorbidities of obesity in the pediatric age group to prevent cardiac events in early adulthood.