Study of soluble thrombomodulin as an early marker of endothelial cell injury in obese children

ABSTRACT

Obesity in children is associated with various cardiovascular risk factors as well as an increased cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in adulthood. Thrombomodulin, a glycoprotein with vasoprotective and anticoagulant properties, is located at the luminal endothelial cell surface. Its soluble form results from endothelial cell injury. The aim of this work was to study thrombomodulin as an early marker of endothelial cell injury in obese children. This study was done on 40 children 20 obese and 20 non-obese control children. They were subjected to clinical examination and the following investigations, CBC, blood urea and serum creatinine, fasting blood glucose, serum cholesterol serum triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL- cholesterol and soluble thrombomodulin by ELISA. There was significant increase in blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and soluble thrombomodulin in obese children compared to control group [p < 0.05]. HDL-cholesterol was significantly lower in obese children compared to non-obese ones [p < 0.05]. There was significant positive correlation between blood pressure and plasma soluble thrombomodulin. From this study it could be concluded that obese children had more elevated blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and dyslipidemia. Soluble thrombomodulin was higher in obese children compared to controls. It was positively correlated with elevated blood pressure denoting endothelial cell injury in obese children