The Prevalence of Abnormal Metabolic Parameters in Obese and Overweight Children

Abstract

Background: This retrospective study aimed to determine the prevalence of abnormal metabolic parameters in obese children and its correlation to the degree of obesity determined by body mass index (BMI). Methods: In total, 101 children seen at the Pediatric Gastroenterology Obesity Clinic at Stony Brook Children’s University Hospital were enrolled in the study. The degree of obesity was characterized according to the following formula: (patient’s BMI/BMI at 95th percentile) × 100%, with class I obesity >100%–120%, class II obesity >120%–140%, and class III obesity >140%. A set of metabolic parameters was evaluated in these patients. Frequency distributions of all study variables were examined using the χ² test of independence. Mean differences among the obesity classes and continuous measures were examined using 1-way analysis of variance. Results: Within our study population, we found that 80% of our obese children had a low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level, 58% had elevated fasting insulin levels, and 32% had an elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level. Class II obese children had a 2-fold higher ALT value when compared with class I children (P = .036). Fasting insulin, ALT, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels trended with class of obesity. Conclusion: Obese children in classes II and III are at higher risk for developing abnormal laboratory values. We recommend obese children be further classified to reflect the severity of the obesity since this has predictive significance for comorbidities. Obesity classes I, II, and III could help serve as a screening tool to help communicate risk assessment.