Cardiovascular risk in nonobese hypertensive adolescents: a study based on plasma biomarkers and ultrasonographic assessment of early atherosclerosis.

The objective of this study was to investigate the vascular status, left-ventricular mass and biomarkers of endothelial activation in hypertensive (HT) adolescents, with particular attention to comparing nonobese with obese patients. Seventy-nine newly diagnosed HT adolescents aged 15.1±2.1 years (divided into 34 nonobese and 45 obese) were compared with 35 healthy volunteers. Intima-media thickness (IMT), flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and left-ventricular mass index (LVMi) were determined using ultrasound. Adhesion molecules and inflammatory interleukins (ILs), together with lipids and insulin resistance (HOMA), were also studied. HT obese adolescents had higher triglycerides, HOMA, and elevated levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and soluble E-selectin compared with controls and nonobese HT patients. FMD was lower in HT groups (8.5±4.5% in nonobese, P=0.004; 8.1±4.9%, P=0.01 in obese vs 12.5±4.9%; in control), and IMT was higher (0.52±0.06 mm, P<0.001 in nonobese; 0.54±0.05 mm, P<0.001 in obese vs 0.42±0.05 mm in control). Higher LVMi was found in both HT groups, with the highest value in the nonobese group being 37.8±5.3 g m(-2.7) vs 28.4±5.3 g m(-2.7) in controls (P=0.003). In conclusion, nonobese HT adolescents had the same early cardiovascular deteriorations assessed ultrasonographically as their obese HT peers, although metabolic alterations and endothelial activation measured as plasma biomarkers were more pronounced in obese individuals. The potential mechanisms of early atherosclerosis in nonobese HT adolescents need further evaluation in prospective studies because these factors may differ considerably from those found in young obese individuals with HT.

The association of early atherosclerosis and retinopathy in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: preliminary report.

Recent studies have shown a close correlation between advanced diabetic retinopathy and the late stages of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to analyse the association between diabetic retinopathy and early atherosclerotic changes in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. We studied 28 adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Eight patients with nonproliferative retinopathy were compared with the remaining 20 patients, and with 11 healthy controls. The function of endothelium was assessed by measuring flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid arteries and adhesion molecules (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, sE-selectin). In the group with retinopathy FMD equalled 7.8+/-4.1% vs. 12.1+/-5.1% in the control group (p=0.04), and in the group without retinopathy, 7.6+/-5.5% (p=0.04 compared to controls). Higher IMT was found in all patients with diabetes in comparison with healthy controls: 0.49+/-0.06 mm vs. 0.42+/-0.03 mm (p=0.001). Patients with retinopathy had a significantly higher value of IMT in comparison not only with controls but also with patients without complications: 0.56+/-0.06 mm vs. 0.47+/-0.03 mm (p=0.0001). Adhesion molecule levels were not changed in patients with retinopathy. Higher IMT was found in adolescents with diabetic retinopathy in comparison with patients without complications, which may suggest that macrovascular changes are more advanced in these patients than in their diabetic peers without retinopathy.