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Subject Area

Pediatrics

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in a group of school-aged obese children of both sexes. Background Data about MS in children are limited in Egypt as the prevalence and magnitude of obesity among school-aged children has been increasing dramatically. We examined the effect of varying degrees of obesity on the prevalence of the MS. Patients and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on obese children (BMI ≥ 95th percentile), aged 6–16 years. Detailed history taking with family pedigree; complete systemic examination; anthropometric measurements, including weight (kg) on Z score, height (m) on Z score, waist circumference (cm), hip circumference (cm), waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, and BMI on Z score; and laboratory investigations such as kidney function tests (urea and creatinine), fasting blood glucose, estimation of glycosylated hemoglobin, liver function tests (alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase), lipid profile (low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and triglyceride), and serum fasting insulin were done. Results The prevalence of the MS was 7% among the studied obese children. The mean triglyceride and cholesterol (mg/dl) levels were 132.4 ± 47.2 and 176 ± 37.4, respectively. The mean insulin (mmol/l) and alanine transaminase (IU/l) were 17.5 ± 10.4 and 27.5 ± 18.3, respectively. The mean aspartate aminotransferase (IU/l) and low-density lipoprotein (mg/dl) were 46.2 ± 53.1 and 94.1 ± 35.9, respectively. Conclusion MS is prevalent even in young children, so we suggest screening programs for children aged 6–16 years to control obesity and MS in the developing world.

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