A comparative study on association of carotid artery intima media thickness and obesity in children aged between 10 to 15 years

Introduction: Obesity in childhood is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) is found to be an excellent marker of pre clinical atherosclerosis. Objective: To evaluate the association of carotid artery intima media thickness with obesity and fasting lipid profile in children aged between 10 to 15years. Methods: 130 school children aged between 10 to 15 years from three different schools of Mysuru city were selected, based on convenience sampling. Using WHO BMI charts 2007 Reference, children were classified into two groups, 65 children in the obese group (BMI > 95TH percentile) and another 65 age and sex matched children were taken as non obese control group (BMI 5TH -85TH percentile).CIMT was assessed using Philips HD11XE ultrasound machine and fasting lipid profile was estimated in Randox Imola analyser. Waist hip ratio was also measured in all the subjects. Results: Both BMI and waist hip ratio were found to be significantly higher in the obese group compared to the non obese group (p <0 .001). Significantly higher CIMT was found in obese children (mean -0.444mm) compared to the non obese control group (mean - 0.391mm).Total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and VLDL were found to be significantly higher (p <0.0001) in obese children and HDL cholesterol was significantly lower in the obese group compared to control group. Conclusion: The Carotid intima media thickness is positively associated with obesity and other associated risk factors like hypercholesterolemia in children. CIMT may be included as a useful tool in screening obese children as a marker of preclinical atherosclerosis and to identify those children at high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.