Children who are obese may have heart abnormalities - Brief Article

AORN Journal,  June, 2003  

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A recent study found that certain heart abnormalities are more common in children who are obese than in children who are not obese, according to a March 31, 2003, news release. Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center used tissue doppler imaging to identify problems during the heart's relaxation phase. This technique is used to measure the walls of the heart. Conventional doppler echocardiography, in comparison, measures blood as it passes through the heart. According to one of the researchers, traditional methods of visualizing the heart can fool practitioners into thinking the heart's relaxation phase is normal.

One hundred forty-six obese children participated in the study. They underwent echocardiograms to assess diastolic function (ie, the function of the left ventricle as it relaxes). Researchers compared these echocardiograms to those of children of normal weight and found a significant difference.

New Cincinnati Children's Study Reveals Heart Abnormalities in Obese Children (news release, Chicago: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, March 31, 2003) http://www.prnewswire.com (accessed 1 April 2003).

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