Echocardiographic Assessment of Epicardial Adipose Tissue in Obese Children and Its Relation to Clinical Parameters of the Metabolic Syndrome

[摘要] and to study the relationship of EAT to other echocardiographic findings and to clinical parameters of the metabolic syndrome (MS) in children.Patients and Methods: This study included 74 obese children and adolescents from the patient sample attending the obesity clinic of the NationalResearch Center. Metabolic syndrome was determined according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) 2007 criteria. 40 lean childrenwere included in the study as a control group. All children were subjected to clinical assessment including standing height, body weight, Body MassIndex (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) plus an echocardiographicexamination with measurement of EAT thickness and biochemical parameters (fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA index, total cholesterol,triglycerides, HDL-C, and LDL-C). Results: BMI, SDS BMI, WC, HC, and HOMA index were significantly higher in obese compared tolean children (p = 0.001). Left atrial (LA) diameter, septal posterior wall thickness, relative wall thickness, and left ventricular mass (LVM) wereincreased in the obese compared to the non-obese group while LV systolic and diastolic functions did not differ in obese versus lean children (p >0.05). Patients had significantly thicker EAT compared to controls (p = 0.01). There was a significant correlation between EAT thickness incomparison to BMI, WC, HC, LA diameter, LVM, HOMA, triglycerides, and LDL-C. No significant difference in EAT thickness between obesepatients with or without metabolic syndrome was found. Conclusion: Assessment of EAT thickness in routine echocardiographic examinations mightbe a feasible and reliable method for the evaluation of obesity and its related cardiovascular risks during childhood. There is no significant associationbetween EAT thickness and metabolic syndrome in obese children.

[学科分类] 心脏病和心血管学

[关键词] childhood obesity;epicardial adipose tissue;metabolic syndrome