The impact of body mass index on left ventricular mass index, right ventricular function, and cardiac dimension of children with sickle cell anemia in Enugu City

Background: Body mass index is a major determinant of cardiac annular valvar dimension and left ventricular mass index in children with sickle cell anemia. Objectives: The study is aimed at ascertaining the impact of Body Mass Index on Left ventricular mass index, right ventricular function and cardiac dimension of children with sickle cell anemia. Methods: A case control study in which echocardiographic measurement of cardiac function and structures were ascertained among children with sickle cell anemia compared with hemoglobin AA genotype. Results: There were 51 subjects and 50 controls. The subjects comprised 54.9% males and controls, 52.0% male. There was a strong positive correlation between BMI and most cardiac structure diameters among children with normal hemoglobin genotype (Pearson's correlation coefficient value, P < 0.001) There was also statistically significant positive correlation between BMI and LV mass among the subjects (n = 50, r = 0.5, P < 0.001). There was significant positive correlation between BMI and TAPSE in both subjects and controls as well as between BMI and RVSP among the subjects, but not the controls (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the number with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) based on their nutritional status (n = 51, chi boolean AND 2 = 7.03, P = 0.32). The BMI correlated negatively with left ventricular mass index (LVMI) among the subjects, but the correlation was not statistically significant (r = -0.1, P = 0.53) Conclusion: There was significant positive correlation between BMI and TAPSE in both subjects and controls as well as between BMI and RVSP among the subjects, but not the controls. Body mass index correlated negatively with left ventricular mass index (LVMI) among the subjects.