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(Hypertension. 2008;52:e6.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Letters to the Editor

Cardiotrophin-1 in Adolescents: Impact of Obesity and Blood Pressure

Friedrich-Schiller-University, Clinic of Internal Medicine I, Jena, Germany

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

To the Editor:

With great interest we read the article by Malavazos et al¹ discussing the possible pathophysiological role for cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) in left ventricular growth. CT-1 is a member of the interleukin-6 superfamily, which induces cardiomyocyte growth. CT-1 provides prognostic information in patients with untreated essential hypertension and associates with the magnitude of left ventricular hypertrophy in these patients.² In contrast, plasma CT-1 is decreased in hypertensive rats.³

Recently, Natal et al⁴ identified adipose tissue as a source of CT-1. They found an elevated level of CT-1 in adult patients affected by the metabolic syndrome. This observation raised the possibility that CT-1 may play a pathophysiological role in metabolic syndrome, acting as a link between obesity-related complications and cardiovascular diseases. In vitro studies demonstrated that chronic administration of CT-1 to adipocytes resulted in the development of insulin resistance.⁵

Overweight and related diseases are dramatically increasing problems in adolescents. Therefore, we investigated CT-1 concentrations in adolescents.

Seventy-two male, white adolescents (aged 13 to 17 years) were studied. Thirty seven (51%) were overweight according to the age-specific weight percentiles. Subjects and their parents gave informed consent, and protocols were approved by the university ethics committee in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration. The quantitative determination of human CT-1 (Antigenix America) and adiponectin (R&D) plasma concentration was performed using the ELISA technique. Data are expressed as means±SDs. Groups were compared by Mann–Whitney U test. For various risk factors, Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated. Statistical significance was assumed at P0.05. Statistical analysis was . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. E. Malavazos, F. Ermetici, L. Morricone, A. Delnevo, C. Coman, B. Ambrosi, and M. M. Corsi Response to Cardiotrophin-1 in Adolescents: Impact of Obesity and Blood Pressure Hypertension, August 1, 2008; 52(2): e7 - e7. [Full Text] [PDF]