comparison of tp-e interval between obese and healthy children in adolescence and its correlation with insulin resistance in obese children

Background: prolonged cardiac repolarization may increase cardiovascular susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias, leading to sudden cardiac death. this condition in obese children is not clearly demonstrated in childhood. objectives: this study aimed to investigate the effect of obesity on cardiac electrical activity in children by comparing tp-e intervals between obese and healthy children and evaluating the correlation between tp-e intervals and insulin resistance in obese children. methods: the study enrolled 50 obese and 50 healthy children. a pediatric cardiologist assessed electrocardiograms and echocardiographs. electrocardiographic, demographic, and laboratory parameters were analyzed statistically. results: there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in age and gender (p > 0.05). the tp-e intervals were statistically higher in the obese group than in the control group (p = 0.001). a statistically significant difference was found between the obese group with or without insulin resistance and the control group in tp-e intervals (p = 0.001 for all). all other ecg parameters were similar in the patient and control groups. conclusions: it is essential to recognize the early symptoms of future cardiovascular events in childhood obesity cases. repolarization differences in obese children, when compared with the normal population, may reflect obesity-related early-stage subclinical findings. prospective broad-based studies are needed to recognize these early changes.