Epicardial Fat Thickness in Children with Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
October 2018
in “
Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology
”
congenital adrenal hyperplasia epicardial fat thickness insulin resistance HOMA-IR carotid intima-media thickness left ventricular mass index mitral deceleration time 17-OHP testosterone cardiovascular risk factors left ventricular dysfunction subclinical atherosclerosis CAH EFT CA-IMT LVMI DcT 17-hydroxyprogesterone cardiovascular risk heart dysfunction early-stage atherosclerosis
TLDR Children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia have thicker heart fat and more heart and blood vessel risk factors, especially if their condition is not well-controlled.
The study examined epicardial fat thickness (EFT) in 36 children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) compared to 36 healthy controls. It found that children with CAH had significantly higher EFT, insulin resistance (measured by HOMA-IR), carotid intima-media thickness (CA-IMT), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and prolonged mitral deceleration time (DcT) than the control group. These issues were more severe in children with poorly controlled CAH. EFT was positively correlated with waist circumference, 17-OHP levels, testosterone levels, LVMI, mitral DcT, and CA-IMT. The study concluded that increased EFT in children with CAH, particularly those with uncontrolled disease, is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and that EFT measurement could help identify children at risk for left ventricular dysfunction and subclinical atherosclerosis.
