Effects of Curtailed Juvenile State on Cardiac Structure and Function in Adulthood: The Fels Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown associations between body mass index and cardiac structure in both childhood and adulthood. Using Fels Longitudinal Study measurements, we investigate the relationships between a curtailed juvenile state and both adult cardiac structure and function. METHODS: A linear mixed-effect repeated measure analysis of variance model is used to test if there is a relationship between juvenile state and each echocardiographic measurement. RESULTS: The curtailed juvenile state is significantly associated with adult left ventricular mass index for both males and females. It is also significantly associated with the interventricular septal wall thickness index and relative wall thickness index for females. In both cases, early juvenile states led to more abnormal structural estimates in adulthood than did late juvenile states. Among cardiac function measurements such as left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular shortening fraction, left ventricular ejection fraction is significantly associated with the juvenile state for females. CONCLUSION: The curtailed juvenile state at the childhood may have a long-term adverse effect on adult cardiac structure and function abnormalities.