Metabolic syndrome common in teens

	Tweet

Nearly one third of overweight or obese teenagers have the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of disorders that raise the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes, according to a new report.

Dr. Nader Rifai and colleagues at Children’s Hospital in Boston examined data on nearly 2000 children, 12 to 19 years old, who participated in the Third National Health and Nutritional Survey between 1988 and 1994

The team proposed a definition of metabolic syndrome in adolescents based closely on the criteria for adults. Writing in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation, they say that the subjects had metabolic syndrome if they were positive for at least three heart disease risk factors: high triglycerides, low levels of HDL “good “ cholesterol, high blood sugar levels, a big waist circumference and High Blood Pressure.

Altogether, 63 percent had at least one metabolic abnormality, and 9 percent could be classified as having the metabolic syndrome. Among subjects above the 85th percentile of body weight for their height, age and gender, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 31 percent.

Mexican-American children were affected most, with 13 percent having the metabolic syndrome, followed by non-Hispanic whites at 11 percent and non-Hispanic blacks at 2.5 percent.

Doctors should be on the alert for “the clustering of metabolic abnormalities” in teens, Rifai’s team concludes, “and affected children should receive risk-reducing interventions.”

SOURCE: Circulation, October 19, 2004.

RELATED STORIES:
New Clues to Mystery Childhood Illness: Kawasaki Disease   Child restraints safer in a crash than seat belts   Babies & Robots: Infant Power Mobility On Display   Fewer Kids Die in Accidents   Kidney stones on the rise in South Carolina children   Obesity Treatment Works for Kids   Factors Associated with Decline in Child Kidney Function Identified   Teaching Autistic Teens to Make Friends   Grandparents a safe source of childcare   Airway Obstructions Have High Death Rate for Young Children   Most Vaccine-allergic Children Can Still be Safely Vaccinated, Experts Say   Are Your Children’s Rx Meds FDA-approved?

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]