title: Associations of uric acid and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) with obesity and components of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The combined effect of uric acid, gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and cardiovascular risk factors clustering in the youth remains under-explored.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to examine the association between uric acid, GGT, obesity and the individual components of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a cross-sectional observational study of 2067 children and adolescents (875 boys and 1192 girls) aged 6-20 years who were healthy volunteers and were recruited from primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong between 2007 and 2008. Subjects were divided into two strata (75th percentile as cut-off) for comparison between odds of cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment by multivariable logistic regression, subjects in upper stratum, i.e., >75th percentile, of either serum uric acid or GGT levels were associated with obesity, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level and high blood pressure (adjusted odds ratios [AOR] ranged from 1.63 to 5.82, all P < 0.005) compared with those in the lower stratum. There were combined effect for upper stratum of both uric acid and GGT in the association with obesity, low HDL-C and high blood pressure (AOR ranged from 2.60 to 10.69, all P < 0.05) after adjustment for age, sex and body mass index z-score (except for obesity status) as well as body height (for high blood pressure).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Uric acid and GGT have combined effect in association with obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: A P S
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: M H M
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: C W H
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: J C N
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014527:Uric Acid; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase