Left ventricular structure and function in children with and without developmental coordination disorder.
Kids with motor coordination disorder already show subtle cardiac volume changes at 12-13 years, so screen for cardiovascular risk early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Chirico et al. (2011) compared heart scans of kids with and without developmental coordination disorder. All children were around 12-13 years old. The team used ultrasound pictures to measure heart size, blood pumped per beat, and overall heart output.
What they found
Kids with probable DCD had bigger stroke volume and cardiac output. Their heart filled and emptied more blood each beat. Heart wall thickness stayed normal, hinting that extra blood volume was an early sign of obesity-related strain, not disease.
How this fits with other research
Chirico et al. (2012) followed the same children one year later and showed the higher cardiac output was driven by extra body fat, not clumsiness alone. This successor study clarifies why the 2011 volume changes matter.
Wahi et al. (2011) looked at the same DCD group and found bigger waistlines, higher triglycerides, and raised blood pressure. Together the papers paint a picture: DCD plus weight gain hits the heart and metabolism early.
Rivilis et al. (2011) reviewed forty studies and confirmed kids with DCD are less fit and less active. The cardiac changes seen here likely stem from that fitness gap.
Why it matters
If you work with elementary students who have motor delays, add quick heart-health screens to your assessment. Watch weight, blood pressure, and activity level. Pair motor goals with fun aerobic games to protect the heart before adolescence.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease risk factors such as obesity and reduced cardio-respiratory fitness. However, there is limited data using laboratory measures for assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with DCD. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in left ventricular structure and function between children with DCD and healthy controls. The study involved 126 children (aged 12-13 years) with significant motor impairment (n = 63) and healthy controls (n = 63) matched for age, sex, and school. The Movement ABC test (M-ABC2) was used to classify children as probable DCD (p-DCD). Cardiac dimensions were measured using ultrasound echocardiography. Left ventricular mass (LVM) was elevated in children with p-DCD (89 ± 17 g) compared to controls (87 ± 21 g), however, this difference was not significant. When LVM was normalized to height(2.7), no difference was evident between groups (26 g and 26 g for the p-DCD and controls, respectively). However, the p-DCD group demonstrated significantly elevated stroke volume (p = 0.02), cardiac output (p<0.001), end-diastolic volume (p = 0.03), and left ventricle diameter in diastole (p = 0.02). Also, peak VO(2) normalized for fat free mass (FFM) was significantly lower (p = 0.001) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.01), body mass index (p = 0.001), heart rate (p = 0.005) and percent body fat (p<0.001) were significantly higher in p-DCD. In regression analyses, p-DCD was a significant predictor of stroke volume and cardiac output even after accounting for height, FFM, VO(2FFM), and sex. Children with p-DCD do not demonstrate significantly elevated LVM or depressed systolic function compared to healthy controls. However, cases with p-DCD demonstrate significantly elevated end-diastolic volume, diastolic chamber size, stroke volume, and cardiac output. These differences indicate obesity related changes in the left ventricle and may represent the early stages of developing left ventricle hypertrophy.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.09.013