Resumen de La presión arterial es un importante marcador de ateroesclerosis subclínica en niños

Pilar Arnáiz Gómez, Luis Villarroel del Pino, Salesa Barja, Iván Godoy, Berta Cassis, Angélica Domínguez, Óscar Castillo, Marcelo Farías, Jacqueline Carvajal, Ana Cristina Tinoco, Francisca Mardones D.

• Background: Cardiovascular risk factors must be controlled since childhood. Aim: To assess the association of carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) with the components of the metabolic syndrome in Children. Material and Methods: Cross sectional assessment of 299 children aged 11.5 ± 0.9years (58% women) with and without metabolic syndrome components. Anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were measured and a blood sample was obtained to measure blood glucose and lipids. CIMT was measured using high resolution ultrasound. Results: Ninety three percent of children were post puberal, 64% were overweight and 25% had metabolic syndrome. Mean and maximum CIMT correlated with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.21 and 0.21 respectively p < 0.01). Children with a CIMTover the 75th percentile had higher blood pressure and lower HDL cholesterol. A stepwise logistic regression accepted both variables as predictors of CIMT with odds ratios for mean CIMT of 1.46 (1.19-1-79) and 0.81 (0.7-0.94) perfive units of change, respectively. Conclusions: In this group of children systolic blood pressure and HDL cholesterol are associated to CIMT.