title: Gender differences in cardiovascular risks of obese adolescents in the Bronx.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The associations between the degree of obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks and the impact of gender differences with regard to these risk factors are not well understood. The aim of our study was to examine the gender-specific differences in CVD risk factors in inner-city minority youths.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 269 adolescents (109 males and 160 females) were included in this retrospective study. Data on multiple metabolic variables were collected. Evaluation of abnormalities in these parameters was based on standard criteria. Pearson correlations were calculated to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) z-score and obesity-related parameters. Chi-square and Fisher's tests were used to compare the frequencies of single or multiple cardiovascular risks in the two gender groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the male group, BMI z-scores showed significant positive correlations with insulin resistance and diastolic blood pressure. In the female group, BMI z-scores showed significant positive correlations with insulin resistance and systolic blood pressure. In both genders, the prevalence of CVD risks was high, but a similar risk pattern was established in both sexes, with dyslipidemia being the highest, hypertension the second, and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) being the least outstanding. The most important finding in this study was that the male group had a significantly higher prevalence of systolic hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Male inner-city minority adolescents show a high prevalence of CVD risks associated with obesity. Appropriate risk stratification is critical to developing and implementing both therapeutic and preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Endocrinology, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10467, USA. pzhou@montefiore.org
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ronak S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Chaudhari
authors.forename: Zoltan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Antal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003971:Diastole; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D013599:Systole; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids