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Published on: September 27, 2024
Myocardial Performance Index and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Children with Metabolically Healthy and
Nazlican Civilibal Tang1, Kazım Oztarhan2, Helen Bornaun3
1Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, St Louis, Missouri, United States; University of Health Sciences Türkiye, Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Pediatrics, Istanbul, Türkiye
Insights
Obese children show higher myocardial performance index (MPI) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) than non-obese peers. Metabolic health status in obese children did not significantly alter these cardiovascular risk markers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Health
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing concern associated with cardiovascular risks.
- Metabolic health status in obese children may influence cardiovascular outcomes.
- Myocardial performance index (MPI) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) are indicators of cardiovascular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare MPI and cIMT in metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) children with non-obese controls.
- To investigate the association between obesity metrics and cardiovascular risk markers in children.
Main Methods:
- Study included 62 obese children (6-17 years) and 30 healthy controls.
- Obese children were categorized into MHO (n=32) and MUO (n=30) groups.
- MPI and cIMT were measured and compared across groups. Body mass index-SDS and waist circumference-SDS were assessed.
Main Results:
- Obese children exhibited significantly higher MPI and cIMT compared to controls.
- No significant differences in MPI and cIMT were found between MHO and MUO groups.
- Higher MPI correlated with BMI-SDS, and higher cIMT correlated with WC-SDS.
Conclusions:
- Obesity in children, regardless of metabolic health, is linked to elevated cardiovascular risk.
- MPI and cIMT are increased in obese children compared to healthy controls.
- BMI-SDS and WC-SDS are valuable for identifying cardiovascular risk in pediatric obesity, highlighting the need for early interventions.
Objective:
To compare the myocardial performance index (MPI) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) of children who are metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) with children without obesity.
Methods:
This study included obese patients between 6 and 17 years of age and age- and gender-matched healthy children. Two groups of obese patients were investigated: MUO and MHO.
Results:
There were 62 obese (MUO=30; MHO=32) and 30 healthy controls included. Compared to controls, the MPI score and cIMT of both obese groups were significantly larger (p=0.004 and p=0.003, respectively). However, there was no significant difference in MPI and cIMT between the MUO and MHO groups. Moreover, there were independent associations between higher MPI and body mass index-standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) (β=0.312, p=0.002) and between higher cIMT and waist circumference-SDS (WC-SDS) (β=0.371, p=0.003).
Conclusion:
The primary outcome of the study indicated that while both MPI and cIMT values were elevated in obese children compared to non-obese controls, there was no significant difference between MUO and MHO groups. This suggests that obesity itself, irrespective of metabolic health, is associated with increased cardiovascular risks. BMI-SDS and WC-SDS were useful markers for identifying children at cardiovascular risk in this cohort.
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