title: Prevalence of overweight and obesity among patients with congenital and acquired heart disease in Kocaeli, Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Childhood obesity has increased in the last half of the century. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of obesity in the children with congenital or acquired heart disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1410 children were assessed in this study. The study population was composed of 518 children (289 boys, 229 girls) as control group and 892 children (477 boys, 415 girls) as heart disease group. Patients were grouped into four categories: (I) "Clinic control subjects"; (II) "mild heart disease" that has not been treated with either surgical or catheter intervention; (III) congenital heart disease treated with surgical and/or catheter intervention; and (IV) "arrhythmias". A body mass index ⩾85th percentile was defined as overweight, ⩾95th percentile as obese, and <5th percentile was defined as underweight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We did not detect any association between heart disease and obesity. There was no difference in the rates of overweight, obesity, and underweight between the healthy control subjects and patients with heart disease (8.1%, 13.3%, and 5.0%; 9.0%, 10.7%, and 4.7%, respectively, p=0.145). All subgroups had a similar prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity as the healthy control population. Within the heart disease population, the overall prevalence rates for overweight, obesity, and underweight were similar between the boys and girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity is a common problem in children with heart disease, at least in general population. It is an important additional risk factor for long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in children with heart disease. Precautions to prevent obesity should be a part of paediatric cardiologist's examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology,Kocaeli University School of Medicine,Kocaeli,Turkey.
authors.forename: Kadir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Babaoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology,Kocaeli University School of Medicine,Kocaeli,Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deveci
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology,Kocaeli University School of Medicine,Kocaeli,Turkey.
authors.forename: Özlem
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Kayabey
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology,Kocaeli University School of Medicine,Kocaeli,Turkey.
authors.forename: Gürkan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Altun
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology,Kocaeli University School of Medicine,Kocaeli,Turkey.
authors.forename: Köksal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Binnetoğlu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: obesity