title: Cardiovascular risk factors, their associations and presence of metabolic syndrome in adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and independent associated risk factors in adolescents in the city of Vitória, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed 380 adolescents aged 10 to 14 years attending public schools. Body mass index and blood pressure at rest were measured. Fasting plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were also obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of overweight was 9.6% for boys and 7.4% for girls, while obesity was found in 6.2 and 4.9%, respectively. Triglyceride concentrations were borderline or high in 6.8 and 3.4% of the boys and in 11.8 and 5.9% of the girls. HDL-cholesterol was below recommended levels in 8.5% of the boys and in 9.9% of the girls. Blood pressure at rest was borderline for 5.1% of the boys and 7.9% of the girls, while 3.4% of both boys and girls were hypertensive. Fasting glycemia was high in 0.6% of the boys and in 0.5% of the girls. In the group studied, 2.8% of the boys and 2.5% of the girls had two risk factors associated with MS. Prevalence of MS was 1.1% for boys and 1.5% for girls, and overall prevalence was 1.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MS and associated cardiovascular risk factors are serious clinical conditions in this age group. A significant number of adolescents showed borderline results, which may increase the prevalence of MS or independent risk factors in the short term. More investments should be made in primary prevention, considering that early diagnosis is an issue of fundamental importance.
authors.affiliation: Centro Universitário do Espírito Santo (UNESC), Colatina, ES, Brazil. anabel@anabelnunes.org
authors.forename: Anabel Nunes
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Anselmo José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: José Guilherme Pinheiro
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carletti
authors.forename: Maria Tereza Martins de
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Margareth Ribeiro
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Moyses
authors.forename: Nazaré Souza
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Bissoli
authors.forename: Gláucia Rodrigues de
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Abreu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol