Obese Teens Improve Cardiac Function After Weight Loss
Obese adolescents who lose large amounts of weight due to bariatric surgery have better cardiac function and geometry, researchers report in the April 8 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
WEDNESDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Obese adolescents who lose large amounts of weight due to bariatric surgery have better cardiac function and geometry, researchers report in the April 8 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Holly M. Ippisch, M.D., from Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Ohio, and colleagues examined the presence of cardiac abnormalities before and after bariatric surgery in 38 morbidly obese adolescents. The mean weight loss was 59 kg and the mean body mass index fell from 60 to 40.
After a mean follow-up of 10 months, the researchers found that the left ventricular mass index significantly decreased, which correlated with weight loss. The prevalence of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy significantly decreased (from 28 to 3 percent), the prevalence of normal left ventricular geometry significantly increased (from 36 to 79 percent) and there was a significant improvement in diastolic function. The rate-pressure product also improved, which the authors note suggests a lower cardiac workload.
"Large weight loss due to bariatric surgery improves predictors of future cardiovascular morbidity in these young people," Ippisch and colleagues conclude.
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