The Association of Serum Sialic Acid with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Anthropometric and Metabolic Parameters in Obese Children and Adolescents

Objectives: The carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a reliable screening method for vascular alterations even in a pediatric cohort; however, reference values of CIMT established recently by LMS methods for childhood and adolescence are limited when comparing patients after Kawasaki disease (KD) and controls. We tested the hypothesis that there are significant differences between the values of CIMT expressed as absolute values and z-scores in children and adolescents after KD and controls. Methods: We reviewed 12 published articles regarding CIMT on patients after KD and controls. Absolute values (Ab) of the mean±1 SD of CIMT in patients after KD and controls were transformed to z-scores (Zs) using age-specific reference values established by Jourdan et al. (J: 247 Caucasian subjects aged 10-20 years) and our own data (O: 175 Asian subjects aged 6-20 years), and the results were compared between the two references. In this study, the mean age of the study population derived from each article was designated the representative age for transformation. Results: In either reference (J) or (O), there was no significant sex difference in CIMT at any given age. The mean CIMT of (Ab) and (Zs) transformed by (J) or (O) were significantly different between patients after KD and controls, at 41.6% (Ab), 66.6% (Zs) by (J), and 83.3% (Zs) by (O) among 12 articles, respectively. Therefore, patients after KD had significantly higher (Zs) by (O) than those of controls (0.66±0.71 vs. 0.03±0.68, p=0.006, respectively). Compared with reference values, the controls of (O) were within the normal range. However, there were no significant differences in (Zs) by (J) between the two groups (1.72±0.77 vs. 1.23±0.83, p=0.116, respectively). When we assessed 9 articles dealing with Asian subjects, the difference of (Zs) between the two groups remained significant only by (O) (p=0.015). In contrast, when we assessed 3 articles dealing with mainly Caucasian subjects, there was no significant difference in (Zs) between the two groups with both (J) and (O). Conclusions: These results indicate that age and race-specific reference values for CIMT are mandatory for performing an accurate assessment of the vascular status in healthy children and adolescents and particularly in those after KD.

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Adiponectin and Cardiovascular Risk. From Pathophysiology to Clinic: Focus on Children and Adolescents

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20133228 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (13) ◽

pp. 3228 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Antonina Orlando ◽

Elisa Nava ◽

Marco Giussani ◽

Simonetta Genovesi

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Plasma Levels ◽

Lifestyle Modification ◽

Intima Media Thickness ◽

Carotid Intima Media Thickness ◽

Organ Damage ◽

Obese Children ◽

Peripheral Tissues

Adiponectin (Ad) is a cytokine produced by adipocytes that acts on specific receptors of several tissues through autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine signaling mechanisms. Ad is involved in the regulation of cell survival, cell growth, and apoptosis. Furthermore, Ad plays an important pathophysiological role in metabolic activities by acting on peripheral tissues involved in glucose and lipid metabolism such as skeletal muscle, and the liver. Adiponectin has anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, and insulin-sensitizing effects. For this reason, low levels of Ad are associated with the development of cardiovascular complications of obesity in adulthood. Numerous studies have shown that, even in children and adolescents, Ad is associated with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. In obese children, reduced levels of Ad have been reported and Ad plasma levels are inversely related with abdominal obesity. Moreover, lower Ad concentrations are associated with the development of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and hypertension in pediatric subjects. In addition to a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, plasma values of Ad are also inversely associated with early organ damage, such as an increase in carotid intima-media thickness. It has been suggested that low Ad levels in childhood might predict the development of atherosclerosis in adulthood, suggesting the possibility of using Ad to stratify cardiovascular risk in obese children. Some evidence suggests that lifestyle modification may increase Ad plasma levels. The aim of this review is to summarize the evidence on the relationship between Ad, obesity, metabolic alterations and hypertension in children and adolescents, and to address the possibility that Ad represents an early marker of cardiovascular risk in pediatric subjects. Furthermore, the effects of non-pharmacological treatment (weight loss and physical activity) on Ad levels are considered.

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