(Press-News.org) Obese adolescents with no symptoms of heart disease already have heart damage, according to new research.
The findings were presented at the Heart Failure Congress 2012, 19-22 May, in Belgrade, Serbia. The Congress is the main annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.
Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and previous research has shown that obese adults have structural and functional changes to their hearts. The current study (abstract P843)
investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and cardiac function in overweight and obese adolescents with no symptoms of heart disease.
For the study, 97 healthy adolescents had their weight, height, waist circumference and hip circumference measured. BMI and waist/hip ratio were calculated. Blood and biochemistry tests and an echocardiogram were performed. Based on their BMI, patients were divided into three groups: lean (L=32 patients), overweight (Ov=33 patients) and obese (Ob=32 patients).
Several measures of heart size were made using information from the echocardiogram. Interventricular septal and left ventricular posterior wall thickness increased as BMI increased (L: 0.84+0.1 cm, Ov: 0.88+0.1 cm, Ob: 0.96+0.1cm, p=0.001; and L: 0.78+0.1 cm, Ov: 0.8+0.1 cm, Ob: 0.94+0.1cm, p=0.001, respectively).
Relative wall thickness and left ventricular mass index also increased in parallel to BMI (L: 0.34+0.05, Ov: 0.34+0.05, Ob: 0.40+0.04, p=0.001; and L: 47.7+8.4 g/m2, Ov: 51.9+8.3 g/m2, Ob: 65.2+13.3 g/m2, p=0.001, respectively).
Measures of heart function were also performed. Left ventricular early diastolic lateral and septal velocities were reduced only in obese adolescents (L: 15.3+3.9cm/s, Ov: 13.6+4 cm/s, Ob: 10.5+3.4 cm/s, p=0.001; and L: 12.2+2.3 cm/s, Ov: 11.1+2.4 cm/s, Ob: 9.8+3.1 cm/s, p=0.003, respectively).
Systolic velocities were also only reduced in obese adolescents (L: 9.2+1.4cm/s, Ov: 9.3+2.3 cm/s, Ob: 8.04+1.5 cm/s, p = 0.018; and L: 9.05+2.3 cm/s, Ov: 9+2.4 cm/s, Ob: 7.6+1.1 cm/s, p=0.014, respectively).
Left ventricular lateral diastolic (r=-0.44, p=0.001) and systolic (r=-0.29, p=0.005) velocities correlated with BMI.
Obese adolescents with no symptoms of heart disease had damaged hearts with thicker walls. The systolic and diastolic function of their hearts was also impaired. Both structural and functional measures correlated with BMI. These findings may explain why obesity is a risk for heart disease.
"Education on healthy food and exercise is needed in schools to prevent obesity and early cardiovascular disease in adolescents," says lead author Professor Gani Bajraktari, professor of internal medicine and cardiology at the University of Pristina in Kosovo. "This is an important step in preventing obesity and cardiovascular disease in adults."
More studies are needed to show whether the heart damage in obese adolescents can be reversed if they lose weight.
###
References
"Poster session 3: Cardiomyopathy (other)" Poster Session – Poster Area
Monday May 21, 8.30 am to 12.30 am. D Maras, Abnormal myocardial systolic and diastolic myocardial function in obese asymptomatic adolescents
Authors: ESC Press Office
Tel: +33 (0) 4 92 94 86 27
Fax: +33 (0) 4 92 94 86 69
Email: press@escardio.org
Notes to editor
For practical information about heart failure aimed at patients, families and caregivers, visit the HFA's Heart Failure Matters website at http://www.heartfailurematters.org/EN/Pages/index.aspx
Heart Failure2012 is the annual meeting of Heart Failure Association (HFA) a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). HeartFailure2012 takes place 19 to 22 May 2012 at Sava Centar, Belgrad – Serbia. The full scientific programme is accessible here.
About Heart Failure 2012 Registration
Online registration is now closed. On-site registration opens at 14:00 on 18 May.
About the venue
Sava Centar - Congress Culture & Business Center
Milentija Popovića 9 St, - 11070 Belgrade, Serbia
Tel: +381 11 220 60 00
Link to the abstract
http://spo.escardio.org/AbstractDetails.aspx?id=103530
Interviews can be arranged through the ESC press office before the event at press@escardio.org
Tel +33(0)4 92 94 8627
Contact on site : Celine Colas – ESC Press Office Coordinator - +33 6 22 41 84 92
About the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) represents more than 75,000 cardiology professionals across Europe and the Mediterranean. Its mission is to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe.
About the Heart Failure Association (HFA)
The Heart Failure Association (HFA) is a registered branch of the ESC. Its aim is to improve quality of life and longevity, through better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart failure, including the establishment of networks for its management, education and research.
END
Folic acid fortification of foods may reduce the incidence of the most common type of kidney cancer and a type of brain tumors in children, finds a new study by Kimberly J. Johnson, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, and Amy Linabery, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota.
Incidence reductions were found for Wilms' tumor, a type of kidney cancer, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET), a type of brain cancer.
Since 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has mandated fortification of foods with ...
Washington, DC—Rising prices for care were the chief driver of health care costs for privately insured Americans in 2010, according to the first report from the newly formed Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). The per capita spending on inpatient and outpatient facilities, professional procedures, and prescriptions drugs rose 3.3 percent in 2010 for beneficiaries under age 65 with private, employer-sponsored group insurance. HCCI data show that this 3.3 percent increase follows spending increases in 2008 (6.0%) and 2009 (5.8%).
Hospital and ambulatory care facility prices ...
Despite the ban on use of handheld cellphones and other portable electronic devices while driving in New York, these laws may not actually contribute to improved motorist safety. In fact, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has found that these laws have not made a difference.
In reality, bans on texting and driving may be causing more problems than they resolve. Because texting while driving is illegal, drivers often try to hide their phones in order to avoid detection -- resulting in their eyes being away from the road for even longer periods of time. ...
ARLINGTON, VA (May 14, 2012) - Vaccination studies from Mercer University (Ga.) headline the groundbreaking research being unveiled at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' (AAPS) National Biotechnology Conference (NBC). The conference takes place Monday, May 21 - Wednesday, May 23 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. Other topics to be discussed include diversity and complexity of vaccine manufacturing, scale-up and tech transfer strategies, applications of multi-scale systems pharmacology, and advances in novel small protein therapeutic modalities.
Development ...
A major pornography sweep by New Jersey law enforcement recently resulted in the arrest of 27 people throughout the state. They face charges of owning and sharing child pornography by downloading material through peer-to-peer networks. New Jersey's attorney general, Jeffrey Chiesa, reported that more than 100 law enforcement officers were involved in the sting, nicknamed "Operation Watchdog."
Court Ruling Equates File Sharing With Distribution
The state is developing its case based in part on a 2010 New Jersey appellate court decision that determined that ...
British fashion brand Next have launched new summer additions to their Lipsy London collections. From stylish swimwear to fabulous floral playsuits, not to mention Lipsy London's signature dresses, get all the on-trend pieces with next day delivery as standard when ordered before 9pm.*
The newly arrived Lipsy dresses include top trends of pastel metallics, placement tropical designs, scarf prints and studded embellishments in Ice Cream Parlour, Tropical Fever and Amazon Sunrise. As well as showstopping party dresses, Lipsy also have a gorgeous range of maxis, tea dress ...
Private Communications Corporation, a leading and innovative company in the security software market, is excited to announce its 50% off iPad give-away. PRIVATE WiFi Facebook fans have the opportunity to receive 50% off its flagship personal VPN software, PRIVATE WiFi.
From now until June 13, entrants can get a 6-month subscription of PRIVATE WiFi for half-off - a value of $24.95. In order for the deal to tip, 50 users must sign up. Fans are encouraged to share the deal with their friends to unlock the savings.
In addition, the company is also giving away a new iPad ...
H. Ross Ford, president and CEO of TCN Worldwide, is proud to announce Schuckman Realty as the newest member of the international commercial real estate organization. Schuckman Realty is one of the leading retail brokers in the New York Metro area. As a strategic planner of retail stores and shopping centers, Schuckman Realty has been responsible for millions of square feet of leasing and development over the past 30 years.
"Our Company is extremely pleased to be joining TCN Worldwide, one of the industry's largest commercial real estate organizations," stated ...
The global market leader BELECTRIC has achieved a historic milestone for the solar industry. With the commissioning of multiple photovoltaic systems at the beginning of this week, BELECTRIC has become the first company in the world to install more than 1 gigawatt of photovoltaic power, which corresponds to the system output of a large conventional power plant. "This is an outstanding event for BELECTRIC and the photovoltaics industry in general. My special thanks go to all the employees who have driven forward the development of the company in all parts of the world ...
Pixatel Systems, the leader in Subscriber Equity Management (SEM), today announced that its Android Productivity Suite, has been selected for the 2012 Asia Pacific Mobile Learning Initiatives Recognition Award by the APAC Mobile Learning & Edutainment Advisory Panel. The award was presented to Pixatel at the GoMobile InOvation Awards Party on May 10th in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, in conjunction with the GoMobile Expo.
The APAC Mobile Learning & Edutainment Advisory Panel (APACMLEAP) was set up in 2007, to encourage educational organizations, corporate and government ...
