Subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction in children and adolescents with asthma

There is close association between asthma and cardiovascular functions as both diseases share common inflammatory pathways. The current study was aimed at investigating the risk factors, associated with endothelial and cardiac functions in children with newly-diagnosed mild-persistent asthma.

A total of 33 steroid-naive asthmatic children [median(interquartile-range); 9.1 years(7.8-13.5)] and 16 healthy controls [11.5 years(9.9-13.6)] were included. Their demographic, clinical and laboratory findings were recorded. Carotid Artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), stiffness, distensibility and strain were measured as atheroclerosis markers. Conventional and tissue Doppler imaging was performed to evaluate ventricular function.

The patients with asthma had higher CIMT and stiffness and lower strain and distensibility compared to controls (p < 0.001 for all). There was a significant correlation between the duration of asthmatic symptoms and subclinical-atherosclerosis as well as peripheral eosinophil count (p < 0.001, p < 0.05). The patients had lower tricuspid-annular-plane-systolic-excursion (TAPSE), ejection time, and higher isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT), isovolumetric contraction time (ICT), and left ventricle myocardial performance index (LVMPI) than the control subjects (p < 0.001 for all). A positive correlation was also observed between the duration of asthmatic-symptoms and cardiac-function parameters.

Children with mild persistent asthma had subclinical atherosclerosis and ventricular dysfunction even in the early stage of disease. Symptom duration was closely associated with both subclinical atherosclerosis and ventricular dysfunction. Myocardial performance index was abnormal in the asthmatic children when assessed by tissue Doppler Imaging even though they had normal ejection fraction in conventional echocardiography. Future prospective studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings and to assess the possible protective effect of ICSs in the prevention of subclinical atherosclerosis.