title: Prevalence and risk factors of the metabolic syndrome in young adults with childhood-onset hypopituitary growth hormone deficiency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and risk factors for metabolic derangement in young adults with childhood-onset hypopituitary growth hormone deficiency (ACOHGHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients with ACOHGHD who were treated with hormone-replacement therapy, aged 18 to 29 years, who visited the Seoul National University Children's Hospital between September 2009 and February 2010 were enrolled. Height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, and blood pressure were measured, and the clinical and hormonal features were reviewed retrospectively. We evaluated measures of metabolic derangement in the enrolled patients and in the data of healthy adults aged 20 to 29 years taken from the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) as part of the National Cholesterol Education Program-the Adult Treatment Panel III.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the KNHANES participants, patients with ACOHGHD had significantly large waist circumference (men and women), high systolic blood pressure (BP) (women) and diastolic BP (men), and high serum triglyceride levels (women). The duration of illness correlated significantly with central obesity (r(2)=0.546, P=0.003). The prevalence of MetS was 10% in patients with ACOHGHD and 2.3% in KNHANES participants. The prevalence of central obesity and MetS was higher in patients with ACOHGHD than in KNHANES participants (P<0.001 and P=0.042, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abdominal obesity correlated with the duration of illness in patients with ACOHGHD. Waist circumference should be measured in the clinic to prevent MetS, particularly in patients with a long history of ACOHGHD, regardless of age or sex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Han Hyuk
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Min Jae
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: In Suk
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Young Ah
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Choong Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Sei Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Yang