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Metabolic syndrome components best tool for IMT diagnosis in overweight children
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Individual risk factors should be used to assess cardiovascular risk among overweight children compared with other diagnostic approaches to metabolic syndrome, according to researchers.
Thomas Reinehr, MD, from the department of pediatric endocrinology, diabetes and nutrition medicine at the Vestische Hospital for Children and Adolescents Datteln in Germany, and colleagues conducted an analysis to understand the association between carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and metabolic syndrome in adolescents.
They collected data on overweight (mean BMI, 28.6 kg/m2) but otherwise healthy children (n=461) aged 10 to 18 years who were treated in the outpatient obesity clinic there. Increased carotid intima-media thickness was defined as ≥0.7 mm, the researchers wrote.
Patients were examined as a group and as individuals. According to data, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome varied from 15% to 26.9% based on definitions set by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and BMI criteria set by Ram Weiss, MD, and colleagues in 2004.
Group data indicate quantitative IMT was related to BMI, blood pressure, glucose levels at 2 hours in an OGTT and with each of the metabolic syndrome components (P<.05), researchers wrote.
Individual components were more predictive of IMT compared with the use of the two definitions for diagnosing metabolic syndrome (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve: 0.65 to 0.85 vs. 0.60 to 0.66), researchers wrote.
They suggest further studies to investigate the concept of metabolic syndrome among adolescents due to the surrogate nature of IMT.
For more information:
Reinehr T. J Pediatr. 2013;163:327-332.e4.
Weiss R. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:2362-2374.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.