Key result
CIMT and PWV detect subclinical cardiovascular changes in childhood obesity but lack standardized reference values.
Why the study?
Childhood obesity is associated with early cardiometabolic abnormalities and subclinical vascular and cardiac changes, warranting an evaluation of underlying mechanisms and non-invasive methods for early detection.
While advanced non-invasive imaging and functional tests can detect early subclinical cardiovascular changes in childhood obesity, their routine clinical use is currently limited by a lack of standardized pediatric reference thresholds.
Supports early cardiometabolic monitoring in obese children; leaves open validation of optimal non-invasive detection methods.
Childhood obesity is associated with early cardiometabolic abnormalities and subclinical vascular and cardiac changes. This narrative review summarizes the mechanisms underlying these changes and evaluates non-invasive methods used for early detection. PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus were searched for pediatric studies, systematic reviews, and guidelines, and the principal evidence sources were appraised using design-appropriate tools. Blood pressure measurement, anthropometry, and age-and risk-based laboratory testing remain the basis of routine assessment. Carotid intima-media thickness, pulse wave velocity, endothelial function tests, heart rate variability, advanced echocardiographic measures, and epicardial adipose tissue assessment are promising; however, methodological heterogeneity and limited pediatric reference values restrict most of them to selected clinical or research settings. Standardized longitudinal studies are required to validate thresholds and determine whether test-guided strategies improve outcomes.
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BADEM et al. (2026) conducted a review in Childhood obesity. Non-invasive cardiovascular diagnostic methods vs. Routine clinical assessment was evaluated. Non-invasive diagnostic methods such as CIMT and PWV can detect early subclinical cardiovascular changes in childhood obesity, but lack of standardized pediatric reference values limits routine use.
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