Teen Obesity, T2DM, HTN May Lead to Early Vascular Aging

WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The presence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) in adolescence accelerates the progression of risk factors that play a role in the development of early vascular aging, according to a study published online May 6 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Justin R. Ryder, Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, and colleagues conducted a five-year longitudinal study among adolescents with normal weight, obesity, or type 2 diabetes at baseline (141, 156, and 151, respectively) to examine trajectories of early vascular aging.

The researchers found that participants with obesity had a greater positive change in common carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), bulb cIMT, internal cIMT, and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) compared with participants with normal weight; those with type 2 diabetes had a greater positive change in common cIMT, bulb cIMT, internal cIMT, augmentation index, and PWV carotid-femoral. There was an association between higher baseline SBP and greater positive change in common cIMT, bulb cIMT, internal cIMT, and PWV carotid-femoral.

“These data add further evidence underscoring the importance of efforts targeting prevention and treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and elevated BP among youth with a goal of delaying and/or preventing the progression of early vascular aging,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text