Factors influencing left ventricular hypertrophy in children and adolescents with or without family history of premature myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are the highest ranking cause of mortality. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is increasing among people in developed and developing countries. Since left ventricular hypertrophy is one of the risk factors leading to extremely dangerous heart diseases and even sudden death at early ages, investigating its contributing factors can be beneficial. The purpose of this study was to determine factors contributing to left ventricular hypertrophy in students aged 7-18 years in Isfahan. Statistical population of this case-control study was the 7-18 year old students in Isfahan, who were studied in two groups of children with premature myocardial infarction in their parents and the control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After determining the sample size of 138 people, a two-part questionnaire was designed and demographic characteristics and anthropometric measures were recorded in students’ profiles. The obtained information was analyzed using SPSS(15) software and logistic regression model and the results were reported at P < 0.05. RESULT: The results showed that among the studied variables, gender, age, body mass index, and blood pressure were associated with the left ventricular hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: Considering the results and previous studies in this field, it was observed that left ventricular hypertrophy exists at early ages, which is very dangerous and can lead to heart diseases at early ages. Factors such as being overweight, having high blood pressure, and being male cause left ventricular hypertrophy and lead to undiagnosable heart diseases.