Assessment of left ventricular mass index could predict metabolic syndrome in obese children

Childhood obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in children and adults.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum leptin level and the cardiac changes in normotensive obese children and to study the relationship between left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and serum leptin with the parameters of metabolic syndrome (MS) in obese children.

This study was conducted in al Jeddani Hospital and Ibn Sina College Hospital in Saudi Arabia in the period from July 2012 to December 2013, and included 82 obese children. Their mean age was 10.2 ± 2.8 years; they were divided into 25 obese children with MS and 57 obese children without MS, and 40 healthy age- and sex-matched children were also included in the study as a control group. All children were subjected to clinical assessment including standing height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure measurements. All children received an echocardiographic examination (2-dimensional, M-mode, Doppler, and tissue Doppler echocardiograpy) and laboratory assessment of serum leptin level, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA) index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high- and low-density lipoprotein profile.

BMI, BMI standard deviation score, WC, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA index and the serum leptin level were significantly higher in obese children compared to control group (p < 0.05). The LVMI were increased in the obese compared to the control group (p < 0.001) while left ventricle systolic and diastolic functions did not differ in obese versus control group (p > 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between both LVMI and serum leptin level in comparison to BMI, WC, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein in all obese children, especially the MS group. However, there was a significant negative correlation between both LVMI and serum leptin level in comparison to high-density lipoprotein.

Assessment of LVMI as routine echocardiographic examinations and serum leptin level might be a feasible and reliable method for the evaluation of obesity and its related cardiovascular risks during childhood that can predict metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.