Adiposity and cardiac dimensions among 9- to 18-year-old youth: the Québec Family Study

Abstract

The relationship between adiposity and cardiac dimensions were considered in healthy 9-to 18-year-old boys (n ¼ 198) and girls (n ¼ 154). Indicators of adiposity included the body mass index (BMI), sum of skinfolds (SSF) and trunk-to-extremity ratio (TER). The following left ventricular (LV) dimensions were measured by echocardiography: internal diameter (LVIDd); posterior wall thickness (PWT) and intraventricular septal wall thickness. LV mass (LVM) was estimated. In boys, 11 of 45 correlations were significant. The magnitude of the correlations increased across age groups and most of the correlations were significant in the oldest age group. In girls, 18 of 45 correlations were significant, but there were inconsistent patterns in the magnitude of the correlations across age groups. Correlations between BMI and LVIDd and LVM were highest in youth 13-15 years, whereas other correlations involving the BMI were rather constant across age groups. Correlations involving SSF were significant only in 9-12 and 13-15 year olds. There were no significant correlations involving TER in female subjects. In the total sample of boys, only correlations between the BMI and LV parameters were significant (r ¼ 0.14-0.38), except for the relationship between SSF and PWT (r ¼ 0.21). The TER was weakly associated with LV parameters. In the total sample of girls, correlations for LV parameters were significant for both the BMI (r ¼ 0.20-0.43) and SSF (r ¼ 0.18-0.28; except for LVIDd). TER was not significantly related to LV parameters except LVIDd (r ¼ 0.16). The findings indicate that the BMI is an important determinant of LV structure.

Impact of Sex and Obesity on Echocardiographic Parameters in Children and Adolescents

“…The importance of obesity for the different echocardiographic parameters has been controversially discussed especially concerning echocardiographic parameters of diastolic function. But in nearly all studies, indices of LV mass were greater in overweight and obese than in normal weight children or adolescents [ 39 – 42 ]. It should be noted that, the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in overweight children varies dependent of the method used for normalization [ 43 ].…”

Effects of Body Size and Body Fatness on Left Ventricular Mass in Children and Adolescents

“…In the Medical College of Virginia Twin Study,7 data from a group of 243 children aged 11 years showed that LVM was inversely related to suprailiac skinfold thickness in a multivariate regression model including weight, gender, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and heart rate. Findings from the Quebec Family Study33 demonstrated that, among healthy adolescents aged 9–18 years, BMI was positively and significantly correlated with LVM in all of the six age–gender subgroups, and the sum of six skinfolds was significantly correlated with LVM in only three of the six subgroups. Details of the correlations after adjustment for body size were not described in the report.…”

Factors influencing left ventricular hypertrophy in children and adolescents with or without family history of premature myocardial infarction

“…Also, one study has shown the significance and positive correlation between BMI and LVM among healthy 9-18 year old children and teenagers in all six age and gender subgroups. [18] In another study conducted by Daniel et al ., to determine the relationship between LVM and systolic blood pressure and BMI, it was found that systolic blood pressure was associated with LVM/height indicator in a univariate analysis. Likewise, it was found that this indicator was positively associated with BMI per se .…”