title: The stability of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some studies suggest the presence of metabolic syndrome before adulthood may identify those at high risk for later cardiovascular morbidity, but there are few data examining the reliability of pediatric metabolic syndrome.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the short- and long-term stability of pediatric metabolic syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Metabolic syndrome was defined as having at least three of the following: waist circumference, blood pressure, and fasting serum triglycerides in the 90th or higher percentile for age/sex; high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol 10th or lower percentile for age/sex; and fasting serum glucose of at least 100 mg/dl. Short-term metabolic syndrome stability (repeated measurements within 60 d) was assessed in obese youth ages 6-17 yr. Long-term metabolic syndrome stability (repeated measurements more than 1.5 yr apart) was studied in 146 obese and nonobese children age 6-12 yr at baseline.
  
  
  METHODS
  Convenience samples of obese and nonobese youth ages 6-17 yr participating in research studies were collected at a clinical research hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Short-term metabolic syndrome stability (repeat measurements performed 19.7 +/- 13.1 d apart) was assessed in 220 children. The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was unstable in 31.6% of cases. At their short-term follow-up visit, incidence of metabolic syndrome among participants who did not have metabolic syndrome at baseline was 24%. In the long term (repeat measurements performed 5.6 +/- 1.9 yr apart), the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was unstable in 45.5% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cutoff-point-based definitions for pediatric metabolic syndrome have substantial instability in the short and long term. The value of making a cutoff-point-based diagnosis of metabolic syndrome during childhood or adolescence remains in question.
authors.affiliation: Unit on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Hatfield Clinical Research Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1103, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Gustafson
authors.forename: Lisa B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Yanoff
authors.forename: Benjamin D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Easter
authors.forename: Sheila M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.forename: Margaret F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Keil
authors.forename: Mary D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Nancy G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Sebring
authors.forename: Joan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Susan Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Yanovski
authors.forename: Van S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: Jack A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Yanovski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055105:Waist Circumference
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides