Association Between Increased Body Weight And Central Arterial Stiffness In Youth: A Cross-sectional Study

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between increased body weight and central arterial stiffness in children and adolescents. METHODS: 52 participants (26 children, 26 adolescents, 28 females, 24 males) were divided in four groups based on age (7-12 and 13-17 y.o.) and body mass index (BMI < 85th and BMI ≥ 85th percentile, kg/m2): normal weight children (NWCh), overweight children (OWCh), normal weight adolescents (NWAd), overweight adolescents (OWAd). Participants attended one laboratory visit where anthropometrics, aortic blood pressure and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) were assessed. Maturational status (MS) was calculated using the Mirwald R.L. et al. (2002) equation. Mean differences between dependent variables were compared using a one-way ANOVA by group with Sidak post hoc. Associations between BMI, waist circumference (WC) and aortic systolic pressure (ASP), and cfPWV were assessed using a stepwise multivariable linear regression analysis adjusted for age, MS, and sex. RESULTS: cfPWV was higher in AdOW compared to ChNW (5.4 ± 0.8 vs. 4.3 ± 0.4 m/s; p < 0.01) and in AdOW compared to AdNW (5.4 ± 0.8 vs. 4.6 ± 0.5 m/s; p < 0.01). Compared to ChNW, AdOW showed higher ASP (105.7 ± 11.7 vs. 91.8 ± 6.4 mmHg; p < 0.01) and aortic pulse pressure (34.9 ± 6.2 vs. 29.2 ± 4.9 mmHg, p = 0.038). The six-variable regression model accounted for 60% of the variance of cfPWV (p < 0.01). Participants more likely had a higher cfPWV with a higher BMI (p < 0.01), WC (p < 0.01), ASP (p < 0.01), and MS (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Overweight is positively and significantly associated with higher cfPWV in adolescents but not in children, and BMI, WC, ASP, and MS are significant predictors of cfPWV in 7-17 years old children.