Cardiovascular risks in obese adolescents

The problem of overweight in young people is highly relevant now, because the prevalence of obesity-related complications, including cardiovascular risks, is rapidly increasing. The most common complication of overweight is metabolic syndrome, when obesity is often associated with essential hypertension (EH), dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. Objective. To analyze the risks of cardiovascular disorders in obese adolescents. This is a literature review, where we used theoretical methods, such as analysis, classification, systematization, and generalization of data. In all age groups, the first clinical complication of obesity is EH, the degree and course of which significantly affect the obesity prognosis and determine the probability of early cardiovascular complications. Up to 80% of obese children and adolescents are found to have high blood pressure (BP). Each extra kilogram increases systolic BP by 0.36 mmHg and diastolic BP by 0.1 mmHg. The prevalence of EH increases with increasing body weight. Obese people are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop coronary heart caused by atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary arteries with subsequent fatal cardiovascular events. Higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases in obese patients is presumably associated with endothelial dysfunction and subclinical inflammation. Cardiovascular disorders became more prevalent in young people over the last decade. They are often diagnosed in adolescence. Conclusion. Despite the significance of this healthcare problem, no universal clinical and metabolic markers of cardiovascular damage have been identified so far. The structural and geometric rearrangement of the myocardium in obese patients have not been sufficiently studied. Key words: cardiovascular risks, cardiovascular pathology, obesity, metabolic syndrome, adolescence, puberty, essential hypertension