Left ventricular diastolic function and cardiometabolic factors in obese normotensive children

Abstract Background and aim Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and diastolic function have been found to be associated with obesity and hypertension in adults. However, there are scarce data about the association of obesity itself to cardiac alteration in children. The aim of this study was to detect early changes in LV structure and function in obese children and whether they are associated with the biomarkers of metabolic risk and endothelial activation. Methods and results A total of 130 children aged 7–16 years (88 obese and 42 normal-weight children) were studied. All children had normal resting blood pressure. Two-dimensional ultrasound with M-mode imaging was performed to assess the L…