Evaluation of left ventricular function in obese children without hypertension by a tissue Doppler imaging study

Background : The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. Obese children without hypertension are becoming an important health challenge. Aims : Complications of obesity in adults are well established, but in obese children, cardiac dysfunction has not been reported clinically. Settings and Design : The present cross-sectional study investigates subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunction using echocardiographic modalities. Materials and Methods : Twenty-five youngsters with body mass index (BMI) >30 and 25 healthy children with BMI <25 were assigned into case and control group, respectively. In all participants, complete cardiovascular examination, electrocardiography, and echocardiography were fulfilled. Echocardiography surveys included standard, pulsed wave Doppler (PWD), and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Statistical Analysis Used : SPSS software, version 24. Results : The two groups were matched for age and sex. The resting heart rate and blood pressure were markedly higher in the obese group (P = 0.0001) though they were within the normal range in either category. Ejection fraction in the two groups was similar. Left ventricular (LV) mass (P = 0.0001), LV mass index (P = 0.029), left atrial-to-aortic diameter ratio (P = 0.0001), and LV end-diastolic diameter (P = 0.008) were significantly greater in the case group, indicating cardiomegaly and subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Except for the aortic velocity, all PWD variables were considerably lower in the case group, suggesting subclinical diastolic dysfunction. All TDI parameters varied significantly between the two categories. There was a direct correlation between isovolumetric relaxation time and BMI. Conclusions : Obesity in children without hypertension is associated with subclinical systolic and diastolic cardiac dysfunction. We propose the evaluation of blood pressure as well as myocardial performance using PWD and TDI in all obese children without hypertension, regularly.