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Author Spotlight: Assessing the Cardiovascular Profile of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Published on: September 27, 2024
Pulse Wave Analysis in Obese Children with and without Metabolic Syndrome
Cemaliye Başaran1, Gökçen Erfidan1, Özgür Özdemir-Şimşek1
1University Health Sciences Turkey, İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology, İzmir, Turkey
Insights
Obese children, with or without metabolic syndrome, show elevated blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Metabolic syndrome did not significantly worsen these cardiovascular risk factors beyond obesity alone, except for central blood pressure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pediatrics
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing concern linked to cardiovascular disease.
- Metabolic syndrome (MS) in obese children presents additional cardiovascular risks.
- Pulse wave analysis (PWA) is a non-invasive tool to assess arterial stiffness and cardiovascular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare PWA findings in obese children with and without MS against healthy non-obese children.
- To determine if MS exacerbates cardiovascular risk factors in obese children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 111 children (41 MS, 36 obese without MS, 34 healthy controls).
- Evaluated anthropometrics, biochemical markers, 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and PWA.
- Compared measurements across the three groups.
Main Results:
- Obese children (with and without MS) exhibited higher weight, height, and BMI SDS compared to controls.
- Both obese groups showed increased BP load, central systolic BP, pulse pressure, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and LVMI compared to controls.
- Central systolic and diastolic BP were highest in the MS group.
Conclusions:
- Obesity independently increases cardiovascular risk markers like BP, PWV, and LVMI in children.
- Metabolic syndrome in obese children does not significantly worsen these parameters beyond obesity, with the exception of 24-hour and daytime central BP.
Objective:
To compare pulse wave analysis (PWA) of obese children with and without metabolic syndrome (MS) with healthy, non-obese children and to evaluate the association between PWA findings and additional risk factors present in children with MS and obesity.
Methods:
From the obese patients examined between June 2019 and June 2021, 41 patients with MS, 36 obese patients without MS, and 34 healthy non-obese children of similar age and gender were evaluated retrospectively. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical evaluation, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) measurement (ABPM), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and PWA measurements were compared.
Results:
When the three groups were compared, weight standard deviation score (SDS), height SDS and body mass index SDS were all significantly higher in the MS group (p<0.05). The following measurements were significantly higher in both MS and non-MS obese patients compared to the control group: from ABPM measures, the systolic and mean arterial pressure BP SDSs load; from PWA, the night central systolic BP, 24-hour, day and night pulse pressure values and 24-hour, day and night pulse wave velocity (PWV) rates; and from cardiac evaluations, the LVMI and relative wall thickness measurements (all p<0.05). Furthermore, the 24-hour and daytime central systolic (cSBP) and diastolic BP (cDBP) values were significantly different between the three groups, being the highest in the MS group (p<0.05).
Conclusion:
Obesity causes higher office, ambulatory and central BP, PWV and LVMI. However our results suggest that additional risk factors associated with MS do not contribute to these parameters, except for 24-hour and daytime cSBP and cDBP values.
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