The effect of adiposity on children's left ventricular mass and geometry and haemodynamic responses to stress

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Obesity Research

Background:

• Essential hypertension often has a genetic component.
• Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
• Early cardiovascular changes in at-risk youth require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the link between adiposity and cardiovascular parameters in normotensive children with a family history of hypertension.
• To assess resting and stress-induced hemodynamic responses in overweight versus non-overweight children.
• To evaluate left ventricular mass and geometry in relation to body weight in this pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated 69 normotensive children with a positive family history of essential hypertension.
• Classified children as overweight based on the 85th percentile of weight-for-height.
• Measured resting and stress-induced hemodynamic parameters and performed echocardiography.

Main Results:

• Overweight children exhibited higher resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), and stroke volume (SV).
• Overweight children had lower resting total peripheral resistance and increased left ventricular mass indexed by height^2.7, interventricular septal thickness, and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD).
• No significant differences in hemodynamic reactivity to stressors were observed between groups.

Conclusions:

• Elevated resting pressures in overweight children are associated with increased preload (higher HR, SV, CO, LVEDD).
• Obesity exerts early detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system in children at risk for hypertension.
• Emphasizes the need for effective obesity prevention and intervention programs in pediatric populations.