Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Body Mass Index in Children with Adeno-Tonsillar Hypertrophy

Background: Low body mass index (BMI) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAHT) are common findings among children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH). There are limited studies about the associations between these comorbidities. Objective: To evaluate the association between PAHT and low BMI in children with ATH. Materials and Methods: Seventy-nine children with ATH and 79 normal children (control) from both sexes were evaluated. ATH patients were evaluated by ear, nose, and throat surgeons and both ATH and control group were evaluated by pediatric cardiologists. The mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPA pr) was measured non-invasively by an echocardiography machine. Results: Children with low BMI (<5%) were significantly more among the ATH group (32.9%) with an odds ratio =3.38 and ( P = 0.01) and their MPA pr was also significantly higher than the MPA pr of the control group (20.88 ± 7.36 and 16.27 ± 2.4 mm Hg) with P = 0.04. Among the ATH group, the MPA pr (24.8 ± 5.99 mm Hg) among the underweight patients was significantly higher than that (19.33 ± 5.92 mm Hg) of non-underweight children ( P = 0.00) and low BMI cases were more frequent among PAHT group ( P = 0.03). There is no significant correlation between low BMI and MPA pr. The grade of tonsils and adenoids was not significantly associated neither with the development of PAHT ( P = 0.22 and 0.3) nor with the development of low BMI. Conclusion: Low BMI and PAHT are frequent among ATH patients. Although not correlated to each other, these associated comorbidities need special attention to prevent more serious future outcomes.