Relationship of Epicardial Fat Thickness with Endothelial and Cardiac Functions in Children with Family History of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that many of the pathophysiological mechanisms that cause atherosclerotic disease may be present in early childhood in children with family history of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to investigate the relation of epicardial fat thickness (EFT) with flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and diastolic function in children with family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We measured EFT, FMD, in 209 children (mean age 8.6 + 3.2 years). Children were classified into 2 groups: 109 children with a family history of type 2 diabetes (group at risk) and 100 healthy children with age and body mass index matched and without parental history of diabetes constituted the control group. RESULTS: Epicardial fat thickness was significantly increased in group at risk compared with control children (P < 0.001), while FMD was significantly lower in group at risk versus controls (P < 0.001). EFT was inversely correlated with FMD (r = -0.46; P < 0.001), while it was positively correlated with E/E' (r = 0.48; P < 0.001) and hsCRP (r = 0.39; P < 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a cutoff value of 5 mm for EFT can predict endothelial dysfunction in children with family history of DM area under the curve (AUC = 0.852) with a specificity of 92.2% and a sensitivity of 77.4%. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that children with family history of type 2 diabetes bear considerably impaired FMD% and diastolic dysfunction associated with increased EFT, that reflecting process that promote the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD).