Body mass index has a good correlation with proatherosclerotic profile in children and adolescents.
BACKGROUND
More recently, the association of different risk factors has been described as the metabolic syndrome. Different definitions are being used for the same syndrome. Regardless of the name or classification, it has been well established that a cardiovascular cluster including overweight/obesity, increased blood pressure, and lipid and glucose abnormalities are associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis in adults.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to correlate body mass index percentiles with blood pressure, insulin resistance index, and lipid profiles in children and adolescents, which characterize a proatherosclerotic profile.


METHODS
Cardiovascular risk factor clusters were evaluated in 118 children and adolescents divided according to body mass index percentile (BMIP) quartiles: Q1 (n=23) with BMIP <50%, Q2 (n=30) with BMIP between 50 and 85%, Q3 (n=31) with BMIP between 85 and 93%, and Q4 (n=34) with the BMIP > 93%. Statistically significant differences were not observed for age (F=2.1; p=0.10); sex (chi-square test=3.0; p=0.38), and ethnicity (chi-square test=4.7; p=0.20) between different quartiles.


RESULTS
A statistically significant difference was observed for systolic BP (F=15.4; p<0.0001), diastolic BP (F=9.5; p<0.0001), glycemia (F=9.6; p<0.0001), insulin (F=12.9; p<0.0001), HOMAir (F=30.8; p<0.0001), and triglyceride levels (F=2.7; p=0.05) between the different quartiles.


CONCLUSIONS
Excess weight evaluated by BMIP was associated with increased blood pressure, triglycerides, HOMAir index, and low HDL-cholesterol, a proatherosclerotic profile in children and adolescents.
Costa
Geodete Batista
GB
Hospital Escola, Universidade de Sergipe, Av. Dr. Enéas de C. Aguiar 44, Sergipe, Brazil.
Horta
Naira
N
Resende
Zulmira Freire
ZF
Souza
Graziela
G
Barreto
Larissa Machado de Farias
LM
Correia
Luis Henrique
LH
Nascimento
Thiago Augusto
TA
Rios
Clay Barreto
CB
Barreto-Filho
José Augusto
JA
Lopes
Heno Ferreira
HF
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids