title: Increased coagulation in childhood obesity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to explore the relation between childhood obesity and procoagulant and anticoagulant systems.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one obese children and 32 normal-weighted children with similar age and gender distribution and between ages of 5 and 16 years were recruited to the study. Antropometric measures of all subjects, existence of any accompanying disease, and medication histories had been recorded. Full blood count, procoagulant, and anticoagulant coagulation tests were run for all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When hematologic variables of obese children were compared with those of healthy controls, it was found that average erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration, erythrocyte distribution width, and platelet count of obese children are significantly higher than healthy control group. It was also found that fibrinogen, thrombin time, factor (F) VIII, FIX, FX, and von Willebrand factor levels of obese children are higher than healthy control group. By contrast, antithrombin levels of obese children are found to be lower.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, we found that there is a procoagulant increase in the coagulation system activity of obese children compared to non-obese healthy children, whereas there is a significant decrease in anticoagulant system. These changes occurred in obese patients, especially higher levels of plasma procoagulant factors such as fibrinogen, FVIII, FIX, and von Willebrand factor, lead us to think that there is an activity in these patients at endothelial level. Further studies are needed on endothelial activity of obese children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yildiz Dallar
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Bilge
authors.forename: Bulent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alioglu
authors.forename: Enver
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simşek
authors.forename: Ayse Esra
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Tapci
authors.forename: Cınar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors