Evaluation of epicardial adipose tissue in children with chronic kidney disease.

AIMS: Previous studies in adults have demonstrated that epicardial adipose tissue could be used to predict the risk of the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes mellitus, obesity, and chronic kidney disease. Herein, we aimed to evaluate epicardial adipose tissue, carotid intima-media thickness and left ventricular mass index in children with chronic kidney disease and compare the results with healthy subjects.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

23 children who were diagnosed with chronic kidney disease or received kidney replacement therapy constituted the patient group; 21 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects served as the control group. Epicardial adipose tissue, carotid intima-media thickness, and left ventricular mass index obtained by using transthoracic echocardiography, demographic and biochemical parameters were compared.

RESULTS

No significant difference was detected between patients and healthy controls in terms of age, weight, height, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Serum glucose, calcium, phosphorus, and lipid levels were also similar. Although echocardiographic examination revealed lower epicardial adipose tissue thickness and higher mass index in patients with chronic kidney disease compared to healthy subjects (6.45 ± 1.61 vs. 7.70 ± 1.69 mm, p < 0.05), no difference was observed in carotid intima-media thickness measurement (0.40 (0.37 - 0.44) vs. 0.42 (0.35 - 0.50) mm, p = 0.29).

CONCLUSION

Larger and long-term studies in children are needed to use epicardial adipose tissue thickness as an effective method to estimate the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease.