Evaluation of subclinical cardiovascular risk in drug-naive pediatric patients with anxiety disorders

Akıncı M. A., Uzun N., Alp H.

13th International Congress on Psychopharmacology & International Symposium on Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology (ICP 2022), Antalya, Türkiye, 9 - 12 Kasım 2022, ss.99-100

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
  • Basıldığı Şehir: Antalya
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.99-100
  • Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

OBJECTIVE: There is a large gap in the literature on non-invasive measures of subclinical atherosclerosis, which can be determined as a cardiovascular risk indicator in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. This study, it was aimed to evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis with non-invasive measures and to investigate the clinical features associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in drug-naive children with anxiety disorders. METHODS: This study included 37 drug-naive children and adolescents with anxiety disorders (21 girls, 16 boys) and 37 healthy controls (20 girls, 17 boys). The sample was assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T and STAI-S) were used to assess children's depression and anxiety levels. Carotid artery intima media (cIMT), epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), and periaortic adipose tissue (PAT) thicknesses, which are indicators of subclinical atherosclerosis, were obtained by echocardiographic measurements. RESULTS: There was a significant main effect was found on both groups for cIMT, EAT thickness, and PAT thickness values, independent of confounding factors such as age, sex, body mass index, mean blood pressure, and family income in the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) test (Pillai's Trace V = 0.758, F (1, 72) = 35.595, p <0.001, ηp2 = 0.758). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that cIMT, EAT thickness, and PAT thickness values were significantly higher in the anxiety disorder group than in the control group (p < 0.001). A positive correlation was observed between STAI-T and cIMT and EAT thickness in partial correlation analysis. In linear regression analyses, age and STAI-T emerged as significant predictors of cIMT levels, while age, male gender, and STAI-T positively predicted EAT thickness levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that subclinical cardiovascular risk is significantly increased in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. More research is needed to elucidate the causal relationship between cardiovascular risk and pediatric anxiety disorder.