Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Obese Children and Adolescents

The aim of the present study was to investigate differences regarding 24-hour blood pressure and arterial stiffness in a cohort of office normotensive obese and non-obese children and adolescents, and to evaluate correlations of these parameters with some anthropometric indices. We retrospectively evaluated ABPM records in 71 children (42 boys); 31 obese compared with 40 normal-weight children.

Results: Mean 24-hour, day-time and night-time SBP was significantly higher in the obese group than in the control group (p <0.01 during the entire period). Significantly higher AASI values were found in obese children compared to controls (0.45 vs. 0.41, p <0.05), the difference being more obvious for day-time AASI (p <0.001).

Conclusions: This research confirms that SBP and AASI are increased in obese children. AASI is a useful index of arterial stiffness that can be easily measured under ambulatory circumstances in children.