Metabolic syndrome in children: comparison of the International Diabetes Federation 2007 consensus with an adapted National Cholesterol Education Program definition in 300 overweight and obese French children.
OBJECTIVE
Former definitions of metabolic syndrome (MS) in children have been adapted from adult MS definitions using age-related thresholds for each biochemical component, whereas the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition is based on absolute values. We compared the IDF childhood MS definition (IDF-MS) to the adapted National Cholesterol Education Program (adapted-NCEP) definition in overweight children.


METHODS
300 overweight and obese children were included with a median age of 11 years and BMI SDS of +4.7.


RESULTS
Below 10 years of age, the frequency of MS according to the adapted-NCEP-MS definition was 18.6%, and 86.1% had abdominal obesity. In children aged 10 to <16 years (n = 214), the frequency of IDF-MS was 8.9% compared to 14.5% by adapted-NCEP. IDF-MS children had a larger waist circumference, and higher triglycerides, fasting insulin and tended to be older than the intermediate severity group of children with MS only according to adapted-NCEP. Children with MS only according to adapted-NCEP (IDF-MS negative), differed from non-MS children in systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.


CONCLUSIONS
The recent IDF-MS criterion in children represents a more severe definition and appears to identify a group of children with higher fasting insulin than the adapted-MS definition which uses age-related thresholds (90th percentile).
Druet
Céline
C
MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. celine.druet@hmn.aphp.fr
Ong
Ken
K
Levy Marchal
Claire
C
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055105:Waist Circumference; D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic
D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides