Childhood Obesity Affects Heart Structure and Function, May Put Obese Children at Increased Heart Disease Risk
CINCINNATI -- Two related studies suggest, for the first time, that obesity in children directly affects structure and function of the heart and may put obese children at increased risk for heart disease.
The studies, by a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati, will be presented at the annual American Society of Echocardiography meeting in Seattle.
One of the studies is the first to show that the size of the heart muscle and the left atrium appears to increase in obese children. The size of the atrium, the filling chamber on the upper-left side of the heart, is particularly significant because increasing left atrial size has been linked to a variety of health problems, including irregular heart rhythms and, in older adults, atrial fibrillation and stroke. In addition, the study uncovered significant abnormalities in heart function.
"In obese children, the heart exhibits diastolic abnormalities, meaning it has difficulty filling properly," says Tom Kimball, MD, director of echocardiography at Cincinnati Children's and lead author of the two studies. "This is the first report that diastolic abnormalities exist in obese children and suggests that the seeds for heart disease are planted very early in life. Pinpointing how and when obesity alters the heart will help doctors to better assess risk and created prevention strategies to head off life-threatening conditions later in life."
In the second study, the researchers discovered that the pumping action of the hearts of obese children--the systolic function--appeared to increase, as did the amount of blood pumped out with each beat. Dr. Kimball attributes these factors to the necessity to send blood to extra fat tissue throughout the body.
In each study, echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart) was performed on 14 children, ranging in age from nine to 15. All had normal blood pressure. The researchers plan to follow up with these children, who are enrolled in a weight loss program, to obtain more data. Obesity is a well-known risk factor associated with a range of health problems among adults.
The American Society of Echocardiography is a non-profit association of 7,500 healthcare professionals who specialize in diagnosing and treating heart disease. In 1998, Cincinnati Children's echocardiography laboratory became one of the first echocardiography laboratories in the United States to be granted accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL).
Contact Information
Jim Feuer (
jfeuer@cchmc.org), 513-636-4420
