Background/Aim. Metabolic syndrome is a clinical term which encompasses
obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, as well as an
increased risk of the development of diabetes mellitus type 2 and
cardiovascular disorders in early adulthood. The prevalence of metabolic
syndrome is increasing and directly related to the obesity rate among
children. The aim of the research was to compare the established definition
of the criteria for diagnosing metabolic syndrome in a sample group
consisting of overweight and obese children in Vojvodina. Methods. The
research was performed as a cross study analysis of 206 examinees. In terms
of the sample group (25% children and 75% adolescents), 74% were obese and
26% overweight according to the body mass index (BMI). Two sets of criteria
for diagnosing metabolic syndrome were applied in the sample of adolescents:
the criteria for adults, specifically adapted for children, and the criteria
defined by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) for children and
adolescents. The research included the analysis of the following criteria:
BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol,
glycemia and insulinemia during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
Results. By applying the specific criteria for diagnosing the metabolic
syndrome in children and adolescents on the whole sample, it was established
that the metabolic syndrome was present in 41% of the examinees, while the
application of the criteria defined by the IDF confirmed the diagnosis in 22%
of the examinees. An analysis of the metabolic syndrome risk factors
established that among the defined specific criteria the most frequent
factors present were elevated BMI and the pathological results of the OGTT,
while the least frequent was low HDL cholesterol. Among the criteria listed
by the IDF, the most frequent metabolic syndrome factors were waist
circumference and increased blood pressure, while the least frequent was
elevated fasting glucose. Conclusion. Metabolic syndrome in overweight and
obese children in Vojvodina was diagnosed much more often when the specific
criteria for children and adolescents were applied than it was the case when
the criteria defined by the International Diabetes Federation were applied.
Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Children and Adolescents according to the International Diabetes Federation Definition in Children and Adolescents
