Relationship Between Overweight and Obesity and Cardiac Dimensions and Function in a Paediatric Population.

Obesity in adults is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy, dilatation and myocardial fibrosis, as well as heart failure and coronary heart disease. These associations have been studied to a lesser extent in the paediatric population. This study aims to investigate the relationship between obesity and cardiac structure and function in the paediatric population. In a southern Spanish town, we selected all inhabitants aged 6–17 years stratifying by age, gender, and educational centres. We performed a complete transthoracic echocardiogram evaluating all the cardiac morphological and functional parameters commonly measured in an echocardiographic study. There were 212 children and adolescents included. Of them, 48,1 % were males. The mean age was 10.9 ± 3.0 years. 106 (50%) were normal weight, 57 (26.9%) overweight and 49 (23.1%) obese. Sex and age were similar in all three groups. Overweight and obesity were associated with larger left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (p < 0.0005), greater left ventricular mass (p < 0.0005) and smaller ejection fraction (p < 0.0005). They were also associated with larger atrial, aortic and right ventricular size. Lateral and mean E/e' ratios were higher (p = 0.007 and p = 0.01 respectively). Body mass index was independently associated with all cavity size variables as well as left ventricular ejection fraction. Conclusion: Childhood obesity is independently associated with larger heart chambers, greater left ventricle mass, and smaller left ventricle ejection fraction.