Is Carotid IMT Different in Obese and Normal 12-18-Year-old Adolescents?

"nIntroduction: Childhood overweight is accompanyed with the atherosclerotic process and one of the first presentations of this phenomenon is intima thickening. The aim of this study is the evaluation of intima-media thickness of the carotid bulb and trunk in 12-18-year-old obese children in contrast to the control group. "nMaterials and Methods: In a case control study, eighty 12-18-year-old students ( in two , normal and obese groups) were enrolled. After collecting their height, weight, blood pressure, serum cholesterol and triglyceride, the mean IMT of the carotid trunk and bulb of both sides were calculated. Data were analyzed by one way ANOVA, chi square, and t student tests by SPSS software. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. "nResults: The mean age of the obese and control groups were 13.9 ± 1.7 and 14.4 ± 1.9 mm, respectively (P=0.192). There were 24 girls and 16 boys in the obese group, and 23 girls and 17 boys in the control group (P=0.82). In the obese group, the mean weight, cholesterol and triglyceride levels were 72.05, 175.9 and 154.9, respectively and in the control group these measurements were 47.9, 146.9 and 90.05, respectively ( P< 0.001). The mean carotid IMT in the obese and control groups were 0.4806 and 0.4167, and bulb IMT in these two groups were 0.4885 and 0.4362, respectively (P< 0.001). Conclusion: The mean IMT of the obese group was significantly higher than the control group. This increase is in direct association with the increase of serum lipid profiles.