Role of Gender, Age, Pubertal Status and Adiposity on Endothelium-Independent Dilation in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

This study examined how gender, age, pubertal status, and obesity influence endothelium-independent dilation (EID) in youth. Three hundred twenty-two healthy youth (142 females), aged 9 to 18 years (mean±SEM, age=14.1±0.14years) were included. The change in brachial artery diameter following administration of 0.3mg of sublingual nitroglycerin was measured using conventional ultrasound scanner. Multiple linear regression models were created using the predictors gender, age, BMI-percentile, percent body fat and baseline diameter. Differences between gender, pubertal status and BMI category was conducted using one-way ANOVA. Females had higher EID-area under the curve (EID-AUC) compared to males (p=0.012) but not EID% (p=0.112). Age was a significant predictor of EID% (p=0.04) and EID-AUC (p=0.02) in females but not males. No differences in EID% or EID-AUC were observed across Tanner stage or BMI category. These data suggest that gender differences in EID are apparent early in life, with aging-related changes observable in females, but not males.