[Glucose intolerance in obese children and adolescents].
OBJECTIVE
The rise in the prevalence of glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus in childhood and adolescence in recent decades appears to be closely related to the increase in the incidence of obesity in developed countries. We decided to establish the frequency of glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus in a population of obese children and adolescents evaluated at our hospital.


METHODS
Prospective study of 145 obese patients (60 boys: BMI 29.5 (4.9), BMI z score 4.4 (1.7); and 85 girls: BMI 28.8 (4.6), BMI z score 3.8 (1.4); age range: (4-18 years) who underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between 1998 and 2003. OGTT results were evaluated according to WHO criteria. Insulin secretion and sensitivity parameters (HOMA, QUICKI, area under the curve for glycemia, area under the curve for insulin and insulinogenic index) were also calculated.


RESULTS
The frequency of glucose intolerance in the whole population was 19.2%. However, this prevalence varied with age and maturation stage (prepuberty 7.0%, puberty 28.2% and postpuberty 26.5%), and with the obesity degree (BMI z-score between +2 and +3: 8.9%; between +3 and +4: 21.9% and higher than +4: 25%). No type 2 diabetes mellitus cases were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Obese children and adolescents display an elevated incidence of glucose intolerance which seems to be related to the degree of adiposity.
Yeste
Diego
D
Servicio de Endocrinología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain. dyeste@vhebron.net
Betancourth
Sandra
S
Gussinyé
Miquel
M
Potau
Neus
N
Carrascosa
Antonio
A
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013030:Spain