Prevalence of metabolic complications in children with severe obesity

Background: The purpose of the present paper was to clarify the prevalence of metabolic complications in severely obese children. Methods: The subjects of the present study were 367 severely obese Japanese children in Tokushima, who were more than 150% of the standard weight for their sex and height (school grades 1-9; age range, 6-16 years). Data concerning anthropometric and metabolic parameters (body fat %, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, blood glucose, serum insulin, alanine aminotransferase, and blood pressure) were analyzed. Results: The prevalence of each abnormality in obese children was high compared with that in the general population. Metabolic variables were correlated with each other. A total of 80.4% of severely obese children had at least one complication. Conclusion: Severely obese children have various metabolic abnormalities even during their early school years. Intervention by primary physicians in cooperation with schools is needed for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases.