Childhood Obesity Is Associated With Subclinical Left Ventricular Dysfunction Detected by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography.

Childhood obesity is related to cardiac structural and functional changes, increasing the risk of heart disease. Sixty normotensive children were assigned based on body mass index (BMI) into normal weight, overweight, and obese groups and examined by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). Weight ( P = .001) and BMI ( P = .001) differed significantly among the 3 groups. Left ventricular (LV) strain ( P = .001) and strain rate ( P = .002) in overweight and obese children ( P = .001) were significantly lower compared to normal weight group. LV mass in obese children was notably larger compared to overweight children ( P = .047). LV strain was associated with age ( P = .031), weight ( P = .001), and height ( P = .022). There was an association between LV strain rate with weight ( P = .001) and between left atrial area and height of children ( P = .007). Obesity in normotensive obese children is associated with subclinical alteration of LV dimension and myocardial longitudinal strain recognized by 2D-STE.