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Weight reduction and aortic stiffness in obese children and adolescents: a 1-year follow-up study

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 29, pages 535–540 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Little is known about the effect of weight reduction on aortic stiffness and especially so in the young. The present study investigates whether weight reduction influences aortic stiffness in obese children and adolescents. Carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and augmentation index at heart rate 75 (AIx@HR75) were measured in 72 obese patients aged 10–18 years at baseline and after 1-year of lifestyle intervention (follow-up). We found that although the degree of obesity decreased (Δbody mass index z-score: −0.24±0.45, P<0.0001), cfPWV was higher at follow-up (ΔcfPWV: 0.27±0.47 m s−1, P<0.0001), which was explained by the increase in age (β=0.12 ms−1 per year, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07–0.17, P<0.0001) and partly by changes in mean arterial pressure and heart rate. Changes in cfPWV were not related to changes in obesity measures. No significant change was found in AIx@HR75 (ΔAIx@HR75: 2.10±9.73%, P=0.072), but changes in AIx@HR75 were related to changes in abdominal fat (Δwaist/height ratio: β=50.3, 95% CI 6.7–94.0, P=0.02) and changes in total body fat percent by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan (Δtotal body fat (%): β=0.7, 95% CI 0.1–1.3, P=0.02) when adjusted for gender and relevant baseline confounders. In conclusion, no clear effect of weight reduction was found on aortic stiffness, although changes in AIx@HR75 were associated with changes in both abdominal fat and total body fat percent. The higher cfPWV at follow-up was related to the older age.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants and the staff at The Children’s Obesity Clinic. For statistical help, we would like to thank biostatistician Michael Gamborg. For financial support, we would like to thank The Health Sciences Research Foundation of Region Zealand, The Danish Heart Foundation, Kathrine og Vigo Skovgaards Fond, Det Medicinske Selskab i København, Edith og Henrik Henriksens Mindelegat and LEO Pharma’s Travel Grant. The present study is part of the research activities in The Danish Childhood Obesity Biobank (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00928473) and related to TARGET (The impact of our genomes on individual treatment response in obese children), BIOCHILD (Genetics and systems biology of childhood obesity in India and Denmark) and DanORC (The Danish Obesity Research Centre).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Holbæk, Holbæk, Denmark

    K N Hvidt & H Ibsen

  2. Department of Pediatrics, The Children’s Obesity Clinic, Copenhagen University Hospital Holbæk, Holbæk, Denmark

    K N Hvidt & J-C Holm

  3. Department of Endocrinology, The Cardiovascular and Metabolic Preventive Clinic, Center for Individualized Medicine in Arterial Diseases (CIMA), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

    M H Olsen

  4. Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), School for Physiology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa

    M H Olsen

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  1. K N Hvidt
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Correspondence to K N Hvidt.

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Competing interests

KNH received LEO Pharma’s Travel Grant during data collection of the present study. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Hvidt, K., Olsen, M., Ibsen, H. et al. Weight reduction and aortic stiffness in obese children and adolescents: a 1-year follow-up study. J Hum Hypertens 29, 535–540 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2014.127

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