Assessment of carotid intima-media thickness and its relation to cardiovascular risk factors in obese children

Background Childhood obesity is one of the most critical public health problems today. This study aims to assess the relation between carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and cardiovascular risk factors in obese children. Patients and methods This is a case–control study conducted on 80 Egyptian children aged 6–18 years; 40 children with simple obesity as defined by WHO (2011) and 40 healthy children age matched and sex matched were taken as a control group. Cases were selected from the National Nutritional Institute randomly from December 2017 to March 2018. All patients and control groups were subjected to the following: full history taking, complete clinical examination including blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, and detailed systemic examination. Laboratory investigations included lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, and radiological investigation (carotid ultrasound). Results There was a statistically significant increase in both right and left CIMT in the patients’ group than controls. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between left CIMT and weight Z score in the patients’ group compared with the control group. Conclusion Both right and left CIMT were significantly increased in the studied obese children than in the control. This can reflect the importance of CIMT measurement as a marker of early atherosclerosis in obese children, especially after 10 years of age.