Key result
Childhood overweight and obesity were associated with arterial stiffening and enlargement (increased CA area and decreased circumferential strain rate) preceding arterial wall thickening.
Why the study?
Childhood obesity is linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes in adulthood, but whether vascular alterations precede arterial wall thickening in childhood required investigation.
Does childhood overweight and obesity cause vascular alterations that precede arterial wall thickening compared to normal-weight controls?
Observational (n=296)
Does childhood overweight and obesity cause vascular alterations that precede arterial wall thickening compared to normal-weight controls?
Childhood overweight and obesity are associated with early arterial stiffening and enlargement that precede measurable increases in carotid intima-media thickness.
May signal early vascular effects in obese youth; leaves open precedence over IMT thickening and needs longitudinal validation.
BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes in adulthood. This study aimed to assess the impact of childhood obesity on the vasculature and to investigate whether vascular alteration precedes arterial wall thickening in childhood. METHODS: = 234) children aged 7-17 years and 31 normal-weight controls with similar age and gender were prospectively recruited. We assessed anthropometric data and laboratory findings, and measured the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), carotid artery (CA) diameter, M-mode-derived arterial stiffness indices, and velocity vector imaging parameters, including the CA area, fractional area change, circumferential strain, and circumferential strain rate (SR). RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation age of the participants was 10.8 ± 2.1 years; 172 (58%) children were male. Regarding structural properties, there was no difference in the IMT between the three groups. The CA diameter was significantly increased in obese children, whereas the CA area showed a significant increase beginning in the overweight stage. Regarding functional properties, contrary to β stiffness and Young's elastic modulus, which were not different between the three groups, the circumferential SR showed a significant decrease beginning in the overweight stage and was independently associated with BMI z-scores after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that arterial stiffening and arterial enlargement precede arterial wall thickening, and that these vascular alterations begin at the overweight stage in middle childhood or early adolescence.
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Kim et al. (2022) conducted an observational in Childhood obesity and overweight (n=296). Overweight and obesity vs. Normal-weight controls was evaluated on Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), carotid artery (CA) diameter, M-mode-derived arterial stiffness indices, and velocity vector imaging parameters. Childhood overweight and obesity were associated with arterial stiffening and enlargement (increased CA area and decreased circumferential strain rate) preceding arterial wall thickening.
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